The Daemon of Pein Part 2: The Eclipse of Dawn
by The Disciple of Pein
Summary: After two and a half years training, Uzumaki Naruto is finally ready to continue the mission he started long ago. With the Ekokaeten, he will cut down any who stand in his way of uniting the remaining seven Jinchuriki.
1. The ninja without a village

A new beginning in more ways than one. Hopefully this will be a redemption for that apparent "Kishimoto" ending of part 1. On the off chance that there are people reading this who didn't read part 1, prepare to be very, _very _confused. I can't say much more, so I'll wait for your opinions.

Disclaimer: The future plot is still not completely determined, but I do have strong ideas at the minute.

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**The ninja without a village**

The dark, cold mists filled the air like a damp blanket strewn across the village. The sun, hidden as it was through thick clouds, let very little light through to the pastel world below. All around was near silence, with only the dull ebbs and flows of the wind rolling over in a chill tide. The atmosphere breathed peacefully, a contented sigh on a relaxed spring day.

Along to the east side of the village, before the tall teal hills, there stood a building larger than the rest. It was a proud house, well maintained even from the damp air constantly passing around. Loyal guards marched on their rounds on the higher levels of the building, ignoring the goings on of what occurred inside the screens, yet by no means denying what their ears and noses told them.

Down below, at the main entrance to this vast abode, there stood in place two vigilant guards. Both of them were identical in dress, the curved sedge hats they wore on their heads, the black handled naginata they gripped in their hands. The pale blue happi of those serving rested proudly on their torsos, with moss green, striped turtleneck sweaters underneath. With their pale and dark blue camouflage slacks, they both could hide easily in the depths of the sea. But they were proud Shinobi, keeping their guard with utmost security.

"You got them tagged?" came the faint, distorted voice of one speaking over a transceiver. It was a raspy, gravely voice of a tired person, sounding complacent, yet alert.

"Hold on." came a second, equally distorted voice. This one was a little clearer, but still had a slight rasp to it as well. Up high above, on one of the tall, round buildings surrounding the large house, there sat a shaded figure obscured by the mist, legs crossed as he viewed the guards below.

He held in his hands a large great sword, the hilt on one hand while the wide and double edged blade rested flatly on his knee. The owner of the massive sword took his thumb and lightly ran it across the edge of the blade, before painting a seal of sorts onto the cold steel. He then placed his hand beneath the blade and lifted it, resting the dark gold hilt on his shoulder and balancing the blade with both hands now. He lined his eye up with the long, dark red groove running along the centre of the blade. With great care, and the slightest of movements, he aimed the tip of the blade at the guard on his left, "Go for it."

"_Got it."_

From the start of the groove there came a pale red glimmer. It quickly shot down the line towards the tip of the blade, before then disappearing completely. Not taking the satisfaction to watch the very slight distortion of the atmosphere, the owner of the blade immediately moved onto the next target. The angular difference was a little trickier this time around, but once more he managed to line up without difficulty. He gave the signal again, and the glimmer repeated itself. He gave it a few moments, before reaching up to the transceiver in his ear, "Ok, all set."

With that, the person got to his feet. Through the thick mist, all that could be seen of him was his bare, toned chest and the carnelian red satin slacks he wore with a loose, orange tie around his waist. He slipped the great sword onto his back, using chakra to keep it in place. Then, silently, he hopped off of the building.

The two guards failed to notice the very slight slither in the air, and took the breeze they felt as any other wind. They remained as still as stone, all of their ears listening for the slightest sound. They failed however, to notice that right behind them, at the back of their necks, small amounts of sand were gathering in the shape of thick senbon. It wasn't until the senbon of sand pierce through their necks, severing their spinal cord, that they realised they weren't vigilant enough.

Across from where the two new corpses lay, two people dropped to the ground. One was the person from the roof, now revealed to be a young man of about sixteen years of age. His thick blond hair hung messily over his cornflower blue eyes, cutting just above the six thin lines on each cheek. In his ear he wore a small blue transceiver, with a microphone jutting out just a little. Though he seemed to be a Shinobi, he wore no forehead protector to suggest his allegiance to any village. A cool smirk slipped across his lips as he looked at his and his companion's handiwork, before looking at the companion in question.

Shaggy red hair feathered over his pale brow, parting on the left to reveal the carmine Kanji for love imprinted on his skin. He surveyed the bodies with cold emerald eyes, the dark rings of an insomniac surrounding them. He stood with folded arm, his thick, beige muffler wrapped around his neck and hanging down over the pale purple waistcoat he wore atop a padded maroon jacket. The sand he used for his assassination slid up around the leg of his rosewood denim trousers, and slithered into the large gourd strapped onto his back. Like the first person, he too had a transceiver in his ear. He returned the other boy's look, with no such smirk on his face.

"You take the back." he said, beginning to step forward. The blond boy stopped him however, holding out his fist as his smirk widened. The red haired boy rolled his eyes as he stepped back, holding out his own fist too. Together they raised their fists and dropped them down, making a count of three when the blonde's hand suddenly opened, while the other's remained still, "Tch."

"Heh heh heh." the blond grinned, slipping his hands behind his head. The red haired boy disappeared, while the blond took a leisurely gait towards the large double doors up ahead. He stepped over one of the fallen corpses, careful not to step in any of the blood. The tall oak frames before him looked strong, it seemed that it would be a two person effort just to get them open. The blond boy studied the doors curiously, his fingers gripping his chin as he thought about his means of entry. Knocking seemed a bit imprudent, and boring to be honest.

"_Then again…"_ the boy thought, as a smile slid across his face, _"It doesn't_ have_ to be boring."_

With an inward chuckle, he reached far back with his hand, his palm flat and his fingers stretched out. Then, with a massive swing, he struck the door hard, shattering it into a cloud of dust, "HOI!"

He stepped inside what appeared to be a large entrance hall. Tall wooden posts reached up to the ceiling, each with a guard standing in front of it. The blond boy cast his eyes around the brown and golden room, glancing over the guards who held their naginata at the ready. He was under the gaze of six opponents, all identical to the outside guards in terms of uniform. The only difference was the lack of sedge hat, revealing the either tall or messy hair that made the boy wonder if everyone in this village styled the same. They even wore their forehead protectors the same, the four curvy lines signifying Kirigakure. It was now that Naruto turned his attention to the guards, grinning broadly.

"Hey, someone give me a hand?" he asked loudly, stepping over the shards of the destroyed door. He passed the first two guards, who both moved to cover his rear, "I'm tryna find someone, but this place is pretty big."

He looked around with an expectant expression, locking eyes with each of the guards as he waited for a response. Instead, he got the blades if the naginata pointing straight at him. With a sigh, he rubbed his head, a clear look of disappointment on his face.

"_Looks like it's our turn."_

"Heh, yeah." the boy chuckled, resting his hand on the hilt of his blade. Then, in a sudden flicker, he vanished into thin air. He reappeared before the guard farthest back, as a fountain of blood sprayed from the seven others behind him. The boy kicked the stunned guard in the chest, forcing him to stumble on the stairs and fall on his rear. The boy lifted his blade in the air and sank the tip through the floor between the guard's legs, leaning on the hilt in a relaxed manner.

"S-so fast!" the guard exhaled, looking up at the intruder in shock. This made the boy grin, leaning in closer to the guard.

"No, so _many_." he corrected, as four identical copies of the boy appeared behind him, grinning and waving to the sweating guard before they disappeared into a puff of smoke, "Hey, you don't know where I can find the Mizukage do ya?"

"The- the Mizukage?!" the guard repeated incredulously. When the intruder gave him a bored look, he nervously pointed to the stairs behind him, "Top floor, at the front!"

The boy grinned appreciatively as he straightened up. The guard seemed to relax a little as the sword was pulled from the ground, but he then began stammering idiotically as Naruto reached back with a stance that could only suggest one intention.

"W-wait!" the guard cried out, "Please don't!"

"Huh?" the boy sounded, a blank look on his face, "Why not? I'm only doing you a favour. You don't wanna be found the only guy who didn't get hurt right?"

Before the guard could protest further, the boy cracked the flat side of the blade hard against his skull, instantly knocking him out cold. He then slipped the blade back onto his back, before climbing the stairs. He paused however, when the transceiver buzzed in his ear.

"Naruto, the guards are converging on your position." came the voice of the boy's companion. He raised his fingers to his ear, pressing the button to activate the microphone.

"Thanks Gaara." he replied, continuing to the stairs. He glanced up around for safety, before looking ahead again, "How're things on your end?"

"Stand-by guards eliminated." Gaara said, his voice interrupted by several low thudding sounds coming from over the earpiece. There was a brief pause of silence, but then Gaara spoke again, "I think I see someone going to the aviary. I won't be able to give you back up."

A slight smile twitched on Naruto's lips from this information, slight nerves rising in his chest. Though the plan had been for one to cover the other from the shadows, this situation hadn't been predicted. This would possibly be the first mission of all the ones their sensei had given them where he would be completely on his own.

"Guess it can't be helped." he sighed, before dropping his hand from the transceiver. He cast his eyes up the stairs, listening out for any signs of movement, before he began the climb. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he glanced off to his left and right, where more stairs lead him to the next level. Before he could decide which path to take however, three ninja wearing plain white masks, the sign of Kiri's ANBU, shunshined to the top of both staircases and the bottom of the one Naruto had just ascended. They each threw out several senbon, one aiming for his head, one for his torso and one for his legs. There was no way to dodge from this all direction attack, So Naruto simply crouched onto his knees. He leapt high into the air, swinging both his open palms up and striking the ceiling. The attack shattered through to the floor above, startling the waiting ninja up there too. He passed by the momentarily stunned Shinobi and planted his hand on the porcelain mask. With a good burst of Futon chakra, the mask shattered, countless pieces flying in every direction. Including the guard's eyes.

"FUAH!!!" the guard cried, grabbing his face in pain. Naruto struck him in the back of the head, forcing him to join his comrades below. He himself landed on more stable flooring, looking around for any further troubles. When he found there were none, he formed his hands into the cross seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." he muttered in a disinterested tone. He walked towards the doors of the now empty room as four Kage Bunshin leapt down to deal with the guards below. He ignored their cries as he slid the door open just a crack, glancing out into the walkway outside. When he confirmed there was no one there, he stepped out.

He faintly heard the sounds of commotion back there, but it didn't take long for them to die away. He could tell without looking that his Kage Bunshin had beaten the guards, but that in no way made him feel any better.

"_Kiri's ANBU should be stronger than this."_ he thought, as he silently stepped across the wooden flooring. There were no silhouettes to tell of presence inside the buildings, the only clue to give that there were still people there was from the structure at the corner of the building. Naruto smiled as he saw the window to the aviary quietly close, it looked like there would be no birds to alert the Shinobi of the village, _"That's one thing taken care of."_

His eyes slipped out of focus for a moment as he recalled the map he and Gaara had been shown. Several points had been marked as safe, and many more as dangerous. With the stand-bys taken care of and the aviary in check, the only way the outside ninja could be alerted was if someone actually ran out and started yelling. Though, even in that case they were prepared.

"_Come on, the elite guards will be nearer the target."_

Naruto blinked back to the present, nodding quickly. He turned to one of the sliding doors and pressed his hand against it. He waited a brief moment before he slid it open and stepped inside. He seemed to be in a simple storeroom, filing cabinets ran along the walls, strewn with paper and the likes. But Naruto didn't view those, he kept his attention on what lay in the middle of the room. To be specific, it was a young woman knelt in front of a round table, fast asleep. Naruto watched as she drooled through her brown hair and onto the paper, her glasses strewn as she snoozed. Judging by her clothing, she was a secretary or attendant of sorts. Naruto crouched down at the opposite side of the table, before poking her on the head.

"Hey- wha?!" the woman cried, snapping up to a sitting position. In an instant she was down again, her hands pressed before her as she bowed, "I- I'm sorry, I was just resting my eyes!"

"Hey hey." Naruto said, waving away her words, "Is this the top floor?"

"What, no, that's the ne-" the woman began, sitting up again. She paused mid sentence however, looking at Naruto with wide eyes, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Eh, about that…" Naruto replied, grinning apologetically as he rested his clenched fist on the table. Faint purple smoke burst from the gap between his finger and thumb, hitting the woman full on in the face.

"Wha?!" she cried out, leaning away from the smoke. But it did its job, she fell back almost immediately, asleep once more. Naruto crushed the sleep bomb in his hands, tossing the remnants out through the open door. He then brushed his hands off as he got back to his feet, before turning to the door leading out to the hallway. He pressed his ear against the wooden surface, listening intently for any signs of movement.

His brow twitched as one of the Kage Bunshin he'd left in the main hall was destroyed, it looked like they were attracting the most attention. He counted about seven or eight other guards down there, it wouldn't take long for them to realise what he'd done.

Confirming that the hallway was empty, he stepped out into it. He glanced from left to right for a sign of the stairs leading up, but he couldn't even see the stairs which led up to _this_ floor let alone ones that ascended higher. He scratched his head, giving one last look over.

"What a confusing place." he muttered, before taking the right and walking down it. As long as he stayed out of the general area of the fight downstairs, things should go smoothly. However, he winced uneasily when he sensed another Kage Bunshin disappear. It looked like time was running short. He reached into the pouch behind him and pulled out several squares of paper. Moving quickly, he planted the squares on the floor, walls and ceiling, before casting a quick and basic disguise Jutsu to make them unnoticeable by sight. He then ran on ahead, counting on his trap's effectiveness.

He rounded the corner hurriedly, realising that this one simply led to a window. He whipped his head around, searching desperately for something. Through a stroke of luck, he spotted a hatch in the ceiling. It looked like there was no way for non-Shinobi to get up there. He couldn't help but grin at that, up there was a place where Shinobi had to worry less about holding back then.

"_All right then Mizukage-san."_ he thought, gripping the hilt of his blade as he crouched down. A smirk appeared on his face as he watched the hatch readily, preparing for whatever was on the other side, _"Let's see what you got!"_

With a leap and a flourish, he slashed open the hatch and darted into the room. He landed on the ground, sliding across as he held the great sword preparedly behind him. But what stood before him was nothing like what he had expected, his wide eyes and gaping mouth were enough to attest to that.

"You fail!" Hoshigake Kisame announced, giving Naruto an emphasised thumbs down. The giant, faded blue Shinobi stood in the centre of the room, with what looked like a young man slung over his shoulder. All Naruto could really make out on the unconscious person was a mess of very pale gold hair, a large green cowl and what seemed to be a double hooked staff with a large green camellia on it. Naruto looked towards his black cloaked sensei, the red clouds billowing in a breeze, "You've gotten good kid, but you don't just charge into a room with a Kage in it, swing your sword around and expect to win."

Naruto raised his brow, looking around the large room. A massive hole in the wall and several large grooves in the floor and ceiling suggested otherwise in his sensei's case. Around the room lay several dead Shinobi, either with blood spilling out of them or soaked to the skin. It definitely looked like Kisame had let loose in here.

"You say that…" Naruto muttered, suggestively. Kisame chuckled as he shrugged the young man into a more secure position. As he made his way towards the hole in the wall, Naruto looked downwards, his brow twitching with anxiety, "That's the Kage Bunshin taken care of. They're on their way up."

"Leave some more for them to play with then." Kisame replied, ducking outside, "And get Gaara will ya?"

With that he disappeared, leaving Naruto to his own devices. The blond looked back at the broken hatch, his worry turning into a chuckle as he heard several cries. It looked like his trap had been triggered.

"C'mon Eko, let's do this." he said, gripping the blade's hilt as he dropped down to the lower level. He pressed his back against the wall and peered around, looking to see just how effective his trap had been. To his great surprise, and private pleasure, it had taken out three of the five remaining guards. The two surviving Shinobi looked in horror at their fallen comrades, whose bodies were twisted and contorted in a hideous manner. It was if a giant had grabbed them, scrunched them up in its hands and tossed them back on the floor. The living ninja's attentions were drawn from the dead however, when Naruto whipped out from around the corner and threw the great sword Ekokaeten with all his might. It whirled through the air like a giant shuriken, threatening to disembowel the two Shinobi completely. But a giant and obvious attack like that was no trouble, they easily leapt over it as they reached for their kunai. But a popping sound behind them made them whip their heads back just in time to see another Naruto flying back through the air.

"FUTON: CYCLONE STRIKE!" the Kage Bunshin cried at the top of his voice. The two guards' eyes widened in terror as a tremendous spiralling wind struck them both in the back, sending them flying forwards. The moment their heads turned to the front, the real Naruto appeared between him, with the real Ekokaeten on his back. He grabbed both their faces in his hands and squeezed tight. The last sound they made was a muffled cry, before blood burst from every orifice on their head. They fell to the ground as Naruto landed past his now useless trap, and gave the Kage Bunshin a bloody high five before the clone disappeared.

"_You're becoming more and more like Kisame no Danna every day."_

Naruto laughed aloud as he ran his hands across either wall, leaving a trail as he wiped the blood from his skin. While it was true that he had developed a habit of going all out in every fight, he was fairly certain he wasn't _that_ bad.

"C'mon, let's find Gaara." he said, as he headed into one of the rooms.

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Roughly an hour later, far on the outskirts of Kiri, Naruto and Gaara walked over the moist ground and through the damp trees, the former running his hand through his low hanging hair. The sky was a little clearer out here, rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds and into the thin woods. Naruto slid his hands behind his head as they walked, a relaxed grin on his face.

"So how many did you get?" he asked, turning his head to look at Gaara. The red haired boy walked with his arms folded, glancing at the blond from the corner of his eye. Naruto couldn't help but broaden his grin as he saw the slight glaze in Gaara's eyes and the faint movements of his lips that showed he was counting.

"Fifteen." he replied, watching Naruto as he awaited to hear the other's result. Once Naruto had sighed and chuckled, he got his answer.

"Damn it, I only got thirteen." he muttered, before looking questioningly, "Wait, does just knocking them out count?"

"No."

"Damn."

They stepped out from the trees, where they found a stream slipping ahead of them. It was a shallow and simple waterway, with many stones lying idly beneath the surface. Up ahead, next to a large boulder by said stream, Kisame lowered the young man he'd been carrying onto the flat surface of the rock. Realising he was yet to get a proper look at this guy, Naruto moved forward to peer past Kisame. His brow rose in surprise.

This guy, this… _kid. _Surely there was no way this guy could be the person they were looking for? There was no way he was older than him or Gaara, yet he was supposed to be a Kage? Naruto looked him up and down, he was dressed in a black vest over a mesh shirt, black trousers and asparagus green tassets around his waist, reaching to the back of his knees and tied with a lighter green sash. He also wore brown sandals with tall leg protectors on them, which the ends of his trousers slipped into. On his stomach was the Kiri forehead protector, and the strap for his staff slung around his shoulder. Naruto's attention was drawn to his face, were there was a stitched scar running down his left cheek starting at his eye. But what Naruto's full focus was on, was the paper seal stuck to the boy's forehead. He couldn't recognise what was on it, Fuinjutsu was still a fairly peculiar thing to him.

"This guy's gonna be out for a while." Kisame said, turning around to face his two students, "But we'll have to move soon. Kiri won't be happy that we've taken the Mizukage."

"Is this guy really him?" Naruto asked, looking uncertainly at the boy. Gaara stepped beside him, viewing the boy himself.

"He is no older than us." he said, raising his eyes to Kisame, "Someone of this age shouldn't be a Kage."

"They put him in charge because it was the best way to keep an eye on him." Kisame replied, stepping aside and crouching by the stream. He pooled water into his hands and splashed his face, attempting to invigorate his tired eyes, "Naruto, will ya put your damn shirt on?"

Naruto blinked in surprise, looking down at himself. He had completely forgotten that he was half naked, something which wasn't easy considering his current location. He turned around on the spot, looking through the trees with a raised brow. He then raised his fingers to his lips, and blew out a silent whistle.

Breaking through what had once been calm silence, the sounds of many pounding feet filled the woods in a stampeding procession. Kisame ignored the noise as he continued to wash his face, but Gaara looked over his shoulder to watch the arrival of six insanely large beasts. Naruto grinned at the Tuscan coloured dogs, walking in amongst them as they surrounded him. Koyane, Hotei, Daisuke, Akira, Shinmaru and Kunimei each stood with massive tongues lolling and bushy tails wagging. Naruto approached Shinmaru, who had something folded and cardinal red stuck in his collar. He pulled it out and scratched the base of the dog's small wing appreciatively.

"Thanks Shin!" he said, smiling as he unfolded the material. He then threw on his short sleeved haori, leaving it open and loose as he pet the other dogs. A few metres away, Akira lightly nuzzled Gaara's arm. The red haired boy tried to ignore the dog, but when he was treated with more of the same he reluctantly pet Akira's face.

"Geez, I thought I told you to quit coddling those ninken!" Kisame grumbled, turning around as he got to his feet, "Sit!"

In immediate obedience, each dog firmly planted his rear on the ground. Kisame nodded to them with an authoritarian look, before barking more orders. They followed each one moments after they came, lying down, rolling over, barking and finally, hiding. Naruto whipped around as they all disappeared back into the trees, wondering just when Kisame had trained them like that.

"Nnh…"

Suddenly Naruto, Gaara and Kisame's attentions were diverted as the boy on the rock stirred. The three of them immediately surrounded the boy, prepared in case he reacted violently.

"Spry little bastard." Kisame muttered, gripping his Samehada. He then grabbed the boy and slipped him onto the rounded blade's form, allowing the living sword to consume just enough chakra to return the apparent Mizukage to unconsciousness. Kisame then hoisted the blade onto his shoulder, bringing the boy with it, before looking at his pupils, "Come on, let's go."

"Hai!" Naruto replied, as the three of them continued to move away from the village that was probably hot on their tracks.


	2. The gathered nineteen

I've been getting a lot of good responses for chapter one, I take it this is a Naruto you can like then? Heh, in case some of you didn't notice, Eko's speech is done in italics now. It was bothersome doing it without, since I couldn't have one on one conversations without having to say who was speaking each time. Anyways, here is the next one. A last minute change of plan and suddenly I know what to do for the next chapter or two.

Disclaimer: Damn, I'd been hoping that it would be Konan that would take out Utakata. She seriously didn't get enough attention, even seeing her in filler combat would have been something.

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**The gathered nineteen**

"Hnn…" the Mizukage groaned, his brow creasing and his jaw clenching as he began to stir. Kisame raised his head, looking up from his seated position against the cave wall. He watched straight faced as the young man slowly woke up from his two day long nap, blinking blearily at the ceiling, "…What?"

"Long time no see, eh?" Kisame asked, his expression failing to match his light tone. The Mizukage turned his head, squinting at Kisame as his vision steadily returned. With some effort, he raised himself to a sitting position, the blanket that laid over him falling to his lap. He turned to get a better look at the swordsman, his orchid eyes showing uncertainty as his vision faded into focus.

"Hoshigake… Kisame-san?" he thought aloud, his brow creasing in confusion. He then glanced around him, as of trying to find something. But when he seemed to come up with no results, he looked back questioningly, "What's going on? Where's Azami-sensei and the others?"

Kisame cocked a brow at the boy, resting his arm on his leg as he leant forward. He was surprised by the fact that this person would bring up Chiriku Azami in such a way. After all, from what he knew that person had been dead for a while.

"Ah, I see." he muttered to himself, as a sly smile appeared on his face. Fortunately the boy didn't see it over the collar of his cloak, but he did hear the words.

"What?" he asked, frowning at Kisame. The large Shinobi got to his feet, ducking from the low ceiling of the small cave. He looked back at the boy, his bow head only allowing his eye to be seen.

"Get some rest, I'll explain when you're better recovered." he said, before leaving the cave. The boy followed him with his eyes until he disappeared from sight. Something didn't feel right, he had a sense of unease inside.

"_Groooo-Oooh."_

"_Calm down Sanbi-san." _the boy thought, pushing himself to his feet. With complete silence, he pressed his back to the cave wall, listening intently. Outside, Kisame was speaking in a hushed voice.

"Looks like Leader-sama was right." the swordsman spoke.

"Huh, Pein-san?" came another, much younger voice. Whoever that person was, he had spoken clearly enough to be heard without effort. For that, he was quickly shushed, "Uh, sorry."

"What shall we tell him?" came another voice that was almost missed. The boy tensed at this, his grip on the wall tightening while any signs of an expression slithered away. He waited in silence to hear the follow up, his eyes watching the outside world.

"He was put under a Genjutsu for years, it's hard to say what effect that would have had on him." Kisame replied.

"_Genjutsu?"_ the boy thought, his brow furrowing again. Things were getting as complicated as they were confusing, what did they mean by Genjutsu? And years?

It was then that the boy realised it, to his great shock. He looked down at the ground and suddenly got a strange feeling of vertigo as he found out he was much higher than he should be. He crouched down to the cave floor, pressing his hand on the ground as he collected himself. Now that he considered it, he felt different, _bigger._ It was as if he had experienced an overnight growth spurt, he was what, a foot taller?

He grabbed his hair, holding it tight as he experienced a sudden migraine. This was wrong, he shouldn't be like this. His muscles were thicker, he could feel them tensing uncomfortably. The world felt like it had literally shrunk around him. It was nauseating, this sense of unease. He looked up and around the cave, was it getting smaller?

"_I- gotta get out of here!" _he thought, grabbing the cave wall again. He pulled himself back up and ran out of the cave. But his unfamiliar body was difficult to manoeuvre with, and he soon fell to the ground. He grunted in pain as he struck the dirt, eyes squinting shut. He grabbed his stomach, writhing in pain all of a sudden. The Sanbi was reacting violently to his own agitation, panicking and attempting to push its way out.

"Hey!" called the voice of the first unknown person. The boy winced as he looked over his shoulder, watching as a blond boy in a red haori ran towards him.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, crouching down beside the boy. He watched with a worried expression as the boy's single open eye widened, the sclera turning a violent shade of purple. Naruto tensed at the sight of this. Though it may not have been fortunate, he had seen Gaara change many times during the first few months of their training, he knew what was happening here.

"If you don't wanna make things easier for Kiri, I'd suggest knocking him out." Kisame said, watching with Gaara from afar. Naruto glanced over his shoulder, nodding before he placed his hand on the boy's head.

"Sorry about this." he said, as he channelled Futon chakra into his hand. The boy's eye flickered in and out of focus as the air became surprisingly thin. After a few short moments, his eye slid back to its normal colour before sliding shut again. When he was sure the boy was out, Naruto slid his arms beneath him and carried him back into the cave. He laid the boy back onto the floor, and placed the blanket over him. He still found it unbelievable that this guy was supposed to be a Kage.

He stepped back out of the cave, and with a flicker of annoyance he realised that Kisame and Gaara were continuing the conversation without him. He hastily rejoined them, looking to catch up on what he missed.

"It looks like he doesn't remember anything past his last mission." Kisame said, glancing over to the cave, "He's talking about dead people like they're still alive."

"Those effects could be temporary." Gaara replied, loosening his muffler slightly. The warm, clammy air was uncomfortable, especially for someone wearing such thick clothing, "We should keep an eye on him in case he remembers being the Mizukage."

"Wait a minute, so he doesn't remember _anything_?" Naruto asked, looking between his sensei and comrade in surprise. He didn't know too much about the Yondaime Mizukage, just that he had been a tyrannical ruler for over a-

Naruto suddenly came to a pause as he was hit with a realisation he should have had from the start. He whipped his head back towards the cave with an incredulous look, before returning his attention to Kisame, "Hang on a sec, didn't you say the Yondaime Mizukage was instated over ten years ago?!"

Gaara's brow creased as he suddenly understood what Naruto meant. Together, he and the blond looked at Kisame with confused expressions, while their sensei simply grinned.

"Heh heh, that's the mystery of the Yondaime Mizukage." he said, with a near giddy look. Naruto and Gaara's confusion only developed into a greater form, but this was now overtaken by curiosity too, "To be exact, he has been in office for around sixteen years."

The two teenagers stared in stunned silence, their eyes fixed on their sensei's. it was idiotic to think that that person had been Mizukage for that long, he would have had to be put in the position at the time of his birth. It wasn't even a joke, no humour could be derived from such a thing. And so that only left them with wonder of how such a thing could be possible.

"You say this is a mystery, but there must have been an investigation into this matter." Gaara replied, when he finally found sense, "He couldn't be immortal after all."

"Don't count out that possibility." Kisame grinned, with an inward chuckle. Both of his students were looking at him seriously, neither seeing things from his perspective, "We are Shinobi after all."

"_Is it really ok to be talking like this?"_

"Yeah, we should probably get moving." Kisame agreed, turning away, "Gaara, grab the Mizukage. Naruto, ready the diversions."

"Oh, uh, sure thing." Naruto replied, turning and heading off while Gaara walked to the cave. Both were still startled by the revelation that had been made, and neither would be able to get it off their minds for a while.

* * * * *

Through the damp surface of the dry land they stood, surrounding the dank, empty cave before them. Two squads of Kirigakure's ANBU black ops stood amongst the bodies of the first squad to arrive, four crushed and torn forms almost unrecognisable. It was clear that this had all been a trap, their targets hadn't been here after all.

One of the squad, a woman with a red petal design on her mask, crouched down by the nearest body. She pulled out from under the contorted corpse a small paper seal, raising it to the thin light for inspection, "The seal's untidy, either it was done in a hurry or we're dealing with someone who's got the hand writing of a five year old."

"They were pretty sharp with the kidnapping." a second ANBU replied, a man with a green X across his mask. He removed the mask of one of the dead, failing to react to the face wracked with pain, "I doubt they didn't consider escape into their plans."

"What is the purpose of the seal?" asked a third ANBU, one who's mask bore a blue swirl across the bottom. The woman straightened up, running her thumb across the ink.

"Judging from this, and the way the blood and leaves are scattered, this was a Futon style trap." she replied, discarding the seal disinterestedly. She looked back at the person who asked the question, "It's the same as was found in the mansion."

"There's no point staying here!" called the captain of the other squad, "Let's move on!"

"Affirmative!" called the captain of the present squad, the man with the X on his mask. He and the other two ran off to join the others, with only the last member of their squad remaining.

He stepped forward, past the bloody bodies towards the cave. The twin blue lines coming down from the eyes of his mask resembled tears, something no Shinobi should shed. He looked in the hollow rocks, his stance telling nothing, but his focus remaining there.

"Niisama… where are you?" he quietly asked.

* * * * *

Through the thick trees they ran, four dark red streaks darting across the mossy ground at top speed. Koyane, Daisuke, Shinmaru and Kunimei flew through the trees, each with a different person riding them. Naruto took point on Koyane as he always did, a fact that annoyed Kisame to no end. He rode on Shinmaru, who was lagging only slightly behind from the weight of the large man and his weapon. Gaara occupied Daisuke, while the Mizukage lay across Kunimei, the only one watchful enough to ensure the boy didn't fall off.

"Looks like they realise we're not there." Naruto said, looking back at Kisame. His sensei grinned as he imagined the scene back there, he really could be irresponsible at times, "Think we should set more traps?"

"More of the same would only waist time." Gaara replied, looking off to his right. He reached out with his hand and snapped his fingers, earning the attention of Kunimei. The dog moved closer to Gaara, who reached out and removed the Mizukage's cowl. He then turned in the other direction and tossed it to Naruto, "Divide that amongst your Kage Bunshin. Once they get past Akira and Hotei's distraction, this'll throw them off even more. Use that to find out how many there are."

"Ok, got it!" Naruto replied, placing the cowl between his thighs as he formed the cross hand sign, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

From his words came ten clones, all of whom were shirtless, existing where they hadn't before. All but one dropped onto the ground, the tenth waiting as Naruto passed him the cowl. Then he too dropped off, taking a kunai from his pouch. Kisame averted his gaze in disgust as the Kage Bunshin's bare chest flew by him, there was one thing that bugged him more than his current position.

"What will it take for you to keep your damn shirt on?!" he demanded. Naruto didn't seem to hear him however, apparently he was experiencing a momentary impairment of hearing. The water nin grumbled to himself, if this hadn't been a common situation he would probably have Samehada in his hands by now. But the little idiot hadn't learned the first time, and to be honest, he was starting to think Eko was egging him on for the sake of fighting Samehada.

"He's waking up." Gaara said, his eyes fixed on the Mizukage. Both Naruto and Kisame watched as once more the boy stirred, and then reacted strongly to his situation. He snapped up, but immediately threw himself back down again, gripping Kunimei's fur hard. The bug dog whined in discomfort, it seemed he didn't like being gripped that roughly. The boy slowly managed to raise himself to a sitting position, looking at the dogs in bewildered shock. He snapped his head up, locking eyes with Kisame as his brow creased.

"What the hell is going on?!" he demanded, glaring at the giant wilfully. But when he was met only with a grin, he tried to dismount the dog. To his shock however, his ankles were weighed down by what looked like mounds of sand.

"Don't bother." Gaara said, watching the Mizukage with narrow eyes. The boy ground his teeth in anger, raising his hands to a seal.

"HEY HEY HEY!" Naruto called, Koyane slowing down to run between the two boys. He grabbed the Mizukage's wrist and separated his arms, looking him in the eye, "It's alright, we're not enemies!"

"Then tell me what the hell's going on!" the boy demanded, pulling his hand back. Naruto looked over at Kisame, who let out a conceding sigh. The three boys turned their gazes to him, waiting for his words in silence.

"You've been under a Genjutsu for years now." Kisame explained, in a calm, but bored voice. The Mizukage's face twitched, but he kept a still expression and said nothing, "I'm not sure about the reason why, but it looked to me like Kiri was keeping you on a short leash."

Naruto understood all of this so far, it at least explained why someone like this person was Mizukage in the first place. In the end, all a Kage was good for was signing away the lives of others. Kisame had taught him that early on to their training. If there were people to take care of the affairs of the village, all their Kage needed was the ability to write his own name.

"And as you've probably realised, you know nothing of your actions during the time you were placed in the Genjutsu." Kisame continued, gazing off ahead as he continued his half hearted explanation, "The seal we used to eliminate the Genjutsu also took care of the effects; you should not remember anything of the Genjutsu."

The boy nodded, everything was making sense even if it was unbelievable. He persevered, trying not to let what was said distract him from any following words, "So what happened?"

"It's simple." Kisame replied, focus returning to his eyes and a grin appearing on his face, "We looked for you, found you, and kidnapped you."

Naruto looked at his sensei in shock, he really hadn't been expecting him to just come out and say that. How did he expect the Mizukage to cooperate now, what the hell was he thinking?!

"Kidnapped huh?" the Mizukage said, in a listless tone. Naruto turned to look at him, anxiety coming on quite strongly. The purple eyed boy looked out ahead, his expression showing nothing at all, "So what do you want?"

"I'll leave that to Naruto." Kisame replied, leaning back with a relaxed look, "This is where he comes in."

This being news to Naruto, he suddenly found himself nervous and uncertain as the Mizukage's eyes fell upon the person Kisame nodded to. Naruto chuckled nervously at the other boy, scratching his chin, before whipping his head to his sensei.

"What the hell am I supposed to tell him?!" he demanded. He wasn't sure who had decided that he was the mediator for the Jinchuriki, but whoever it was had failed to inform him. He was saved the bother of coming up with something though, when Gaara spoke.

"We know that you are the Jinchuriki for the Sanbi no Kyodaigame." he said, keeping his eyes firmly ahead as the Mizukage watched him. The Kiri nin's eyes widened in shock, his lips parting from surprise. But that soon faded, and he looked ahead once more.

"I see." he said, blankly, "So then it's _him_ that you want."

"Don't get the wrong idea." Naruto said, as Koyane fell back further. The Mizukage looked at him over his shoulder, watching as Naruto raised his hand into a single seal. His gaze moved from the face of the blond boy to his stomach, when a black spiralling design with several scribbles coursing away from it appeared on his skin, like a tattoo that just hadn't been noticed because of the lighting, "I couldn't care less about the Sanbi."

"You…" the Mizukage breathed, his eyes rising to Naruto's, "You're another one?"

Naruto's grin broadened, and he laughed inwardly, "Yeah, so is Gaara over there."

The Mizukage turned his eyes to Gaara, who didn't respond at all. He then dropped his gaze, a look of deep thought etched on his smooth face. He took several moments in silence, before raising his head.

"I see." he said again, looking back at Naruto, "I guess that since I know your names, you can call me Yagura."

Naruto beamed at him, feeling confident that things were going well. He was the only one to react as such though, both Gaara and Eko were holding contemplative silences. Kisame, being Kisame, just watched Yagura with a grin. Yagura turned his eyes ahead again, but stopped as he realised Gaara was watching him.

"You sound like you have no concern of this situation." he said, in an almost accusing tone, "I would think you'd be at least a little concerned as to the reasons for what is happening now."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't trust a single one of you." Yagura replied, his stony expression matching Gaara's almost exactly, "But, since you got me out of that village, it looks like I'm indebted to you."

Naruto and Gaara watched Yagura with raised brows, while Kisame kept an open ear. None of them had any problem with what he had said, it was the better than what any of them had expected. But to that same end, they couldn't help be confused by it.

"I'll repay that debt," Yagura said, looking Naruto in the eye, "But first, I have to go back."

* * * * *

The Kiri ANBU dashed through the forest as fast as their feet would allow, silently flitting from tree to tree as they did everything in their ability to close the gap between themselves and the Mizukage. Four Shinobi and three Kunoichi followed the large tracks left in the soft earth. They had already confirmed the use of ninken, and that there were many of the dogs in use. They could also easily follow the trail, the scent of those dogs were very distinct.

"It's getting clo-" one of the Kunoichi began, before she and everyone else came to a sudden stop. They all grabbed their faces as they were suddenly hit with a nauseating stench, the likes they had never known. It reeked of urine, but it was so intense it almost seemed like they had been struck with some corrosive gas.

None of them wasted any time in separating, doing what they could to get away from that horrendous odour before it could really do some harm. They all climbed up to high branches, gagging and wheezing as they tried desperately to get some clean air.

"Those bastards." a male growled, holding his throat as if he was trying to block the tainted air from his lungs, "Are they messing with us?"

"No, it's not that." said a Kunoichi, between thick coughs. She reached out with her hand and pointed down at the ground, "Look over there."

Six pairs of eyes turned to the direction she was pointing, down at the road ahead. They all saw the tracks that they had been following split off into five different directions, each looking as old as the last. The two squads dropped down to ground level, meeting at the point the tracks split off.

"They're trying to slow us down." said a Kunoichi, showing remarkable skill at stating the obvious. The others were already splitting off, taking a few steps along each trail.

"I can smell them this way." said a Shinobi, looking over his shoulder.

"No good, it's coming from this direction too." said another.

"The scents go off in every direction." concluded the squad leader, "Then there's no choice. We'll travel in two-man cells, the captains will go alone. If you find the enemy, maintain a safe distance and follow them. Confirm they are the real enemy, and-"

He came to a sudden stop as he turned around. He looked amongst the gathered ANBU, scanning each one carefully. The other ninja looked amongst themselves, taking a moment to reach the same conclusion.

"Where is he?" the squad leader demanded.

* * * * *

"Go back?" Naruto repeated, with a confused look, "Go back for what?"

Yagura looked Naruto up and down, clearly thinking over whether or not he should say any more. Though it seemed he had little choice, and so he reluctantly continued.

"There's someone back in Kiri." he said, in a low voice, "Someone I can't leave behind."

Naruto watched Yagura with the look of someone who didn't understand. There was someone back there important to Yagura, important enough that he would be willing to return to Kiri just to get that person out too. He couldn't completely relate to that, but he had a slight idea. It was more of a surprise than anything though, maybe Naruto was more ignorant than he thought.

"We're not turning back just cos you left a buddy behind." Kisame said, his expression of dead straight seriousness. Yagura looked at him, and saw this with his own eyes. He held his gaze, refusing to back down.

"I won't leave him behind." he said, meeting Kisame's gaze with an equally stoic quality. But despite his resolve, Kisame wasn't about to falter either. The ex-Kiri-nin looked away, his expression stating that there was to be no argument. Yagura ground his teeth, looking like a cat cornered.

"If you won't allow it, then I'll have no choice but to resist." he said, before suddenly grabbing the staff from his back. He struck the ground hard with the smaller hook, and a sudden spring burst from the ground, striking Kunimei from below. The dog was thrown into the air, and the sand was dampened enough that Yagura managed to break free. He leapt high into the air, landing on the ground a distance away.

Immediately Naruto, Gaara and Kisame were off the dogs, who all fell back as they were trained to do in this situation. Kisame stepped slowly between his students, his eyes on their defiant captive at all times. Naruto saw the look in his sensei's eyes and with some regret, he reached up to grip the hilt of the Ekokaeten. He would rather things go smoothly, but it looked like there was no choice.

"_Still, at least there's some good here."_ he thought, as he waited for Kisame's orders, _"I get to fight someone at a Kage level!"_

"_Heh heh, I can't wait."_

"Naruto, you take care of him." Kisame ordered, folding his arms, "Gaara, cover him."

"Got it." Naruto and Gaara simultaneously replied. Kisame then leapt back, seeking a good place to watch. As he did this, Naruto stepped forward, while Gaara stood a few metres behind him. The blond boy's hold on Eko's hilt tightened with anticipation, he still wasn't completely certain about this.

But then that smell hit the air. That odourless scent that filled your lungs with every breath, and made your heart beat faster. The sensation of killer intent being directed straight at him, it made him ecstatic. A slow grin spread across his lips as all doubt and worry left his mind. He lifted Eko from his back and with his other hand he removed his haori and tossed it aside. With several large and deep breaths, his muscular chest expanded and contracted. He flexed his left hand, his knuckles cracking as his fingers grabbed and clawed at the air by his side. Slowly, his eyes turned a deep and strong shade of red, his pupils stretching to slits. His canines sharpened to near razor points, and the markings on his cheeks grew wilder. The seal on his stomach became fully visible once more, and even the Ekokaeten seemed to shine with a red light.

Uzumaki Naruto, was ready for battle.


	3. A greater outcome

Uhh... this was pretty harrowing. I don't really know how Jinchuriki on Jinchuriki fights would go, at least on this level anyway. Ah well, I won't spoil anything for you.

Disclaimer: Zetsu really did look like a zombie in the last manga chapter, didn't he?

* * *

**A greater outcome**

Naruto and Yagura stared each other down, neither making the first move. Yagura, who from his perspective was faced with three opponents, refused to rush in like a fool. Naruto had heard some detail of Yagura, that he had great control over the Sanbi, and of course that he was a Kage. Although, neither of those was a deterrent for him. What he was waiting for was the signal he had grown accustomed to.

It came, the sound of Gaara's sand rising from his gourd. With a flick of the wrist he turned Eko so the edges faced both in front and behind Naruto. He then ran towards Yagura at a great speed, keeping his posture low as he held the blade back. Yagura responded accordingly and held his staff in both arms. However, his grip was not the kind used by a person who was about to defend, Naruto saw that very clearly. For a second time Yagura raised his weapon in the air, and struck the ground with it.

Instinctually, Naruto rolled to his left, narrowly dodging the pillar of water that threw itself from the ground he would have been standing on. He looked at the spring as he regained his footing, both seeing the great amount of steam and feeling the heat emitting from it. He realised that it wasn't a spring, but a geyser.

"_Game over if that hits you head on."_

Naruto took Eko's warning to heart, and decided that keeping to one spot would be suicidal. He immediately broke from his position and dashed at Yagura, swinging the great sword with resounding force. The Mizukage retaliated by thrusting his staff straight at Naruto, a long stab with the larger hook. However much the size of Eko had increased, Yagura's reach was longer. Forced to stop early, Naruto failed to see the true intention of the attack until it happened.

Pulling his weapon back, Yagura caught Eko with the hook and pulled it back too. Naruto, who was dragged along with his weapon, had to react quickly to avoid the follow up strike. He leapt up off the ground and over the air, dislodging his blade in the process. Yagura followed him with his eyes, prepared to strike him the moment he touched the ground. For that reason, he was unprepared when Naruto kicked off a hovering mound of sand, and landed back where he had been when he first jumped. His free hand flew up, aiming to grasp his opponent's head. But Yagura managed to bend back, showing impressive flexibility as he flipped over, swiping at Naruto's legs in the middle of his movement.

"_Even though his Biju is a turtle, looks like he's pretty manoeuvrable." _Naruto thought, as he hopped over the black staff. He then swung his foot out, barely missing the opportunity to knock Yagura off balance. The Kiri-nin finished his motion, landing a couple of metres back. He dropped his staff, running through seals as it fell down to the ground.

"Suiton: Ocean Blade Barrage!" he called, before kicking his staff back up into his hands. Then with a quick slash, he ran the smaller hook across that ground, causing a long groove that was somehow filled with water. The water splashed up into the air, where it formed into large and thin spear like weapons, flying at Naruto in a bombardment of lethal points.

Immediately Naruto took Eko and plunged his tip into the ground. He crouched down behind the blade, then threw his hands aside.

"Futon: Void Vortex!" he cried, slamming his hands together into the serpent seal. From either side wind clashed together, like two waves in a colliding tide.

Though Yagura raised his arm to keep dust from his eyes, he made sure not to take his eyes off Naruto or those behind him. The water blades were struck hard by the Jutsu, and all were forced on the same path as they struck Eko's blade. Naruto then stood again, grabbing the blade as he pulled it out. The light cast across the steel as Eko was raised through the air, somehow it had a purple sheen to it now.

"Thanks for the gift." Naruto grinned, before taking off again. He barrelled for Yagura, swinging his blade in several wide arcs as if he was already upon his opponent. He failed to catch Yagura off guard however, the Sanbi Jinchuriki leapt clean over the blades of wind and threw his staff at Naruto, who dodged back to avoid it. It stuck hard in the ground, the flower attached to it shaking slightly from the impact. When no geysers formed as he had expected, Naruto looked up at Yagura just in time to see the Mizukage finish his string of seals.

A low rumbling sound attracted Naruto's attention away from his opponent as the camellia on Yagura's staff started moving of its own will. A long stem suddenly began growing from beneath it at a phenomenal rate, winding down the black staff and into the ground below. All along the stem, several buds began appearing, sprouting new camellia that bloomed to fast to be natural. Naruto watched this spectacle for just a moment, before turning his gaze up to Yagura. But to his shock, the boy had disappeared completely.

"_Damn it!"_ Naruto cursed, looking around, _"You see where he went?"_

He looked among the pale trees, desperately seeking any sign of his opponent. But Yagura was nowhere to be seen. Once he came to realise this, he looked at the unresponsive blade with a frown.

"Hey, Eko." he said, slapping the flat side of the blade. He got no answer however, and began to feel edgy. But he was distracted as the ground beneath his feet began to crumble, "Shit!"

He leapt up into the air, but failed to get out of reach in time. Roots burst from the soft soil and lunged through air for Naruto's legs. They wrapped themselves around his shins and crawled up his thighs, their grip tightening as they reached further. Naruto bared his teeth as he took the silent sword and slashed at the roots. But for some reason, all he did was chip away at the growth, _"What the?!"_

He fell down on the ground, the roots stopping their growth enough to make Naruto land on his back. He quickly tried to get to a sitting position so he could tear the roots with his own two hands, but more grew and bound his arms to the ground. He whipped his head from left to right, he was being surrounded by camellias that were starting to grow on top of him, blossoming into mint green flowers. The roots travelled across his waist and chest, hiding his lightly tanned skin under a blanket pf green. All the while he struggled wildly, his teeth grinding. He planted his palms on the ground, forcing as much chakra as he could make without seals into the ground. If he couldn't cut the roots with his blade, he'd slice them apart with his combination of Futon and Biju chakra.

Nothing happened. The ground remained intact and the plants grew as quickly as ever. Naruto groaned as their grip tightened, it was beginning to get painful.

"_Damn it, that should've worked!"_ he thought, as he made another fruitless attempt to get out using brute strength alone, _"This has to be- it's gotta be-"_

* * * * *

"QUIT SCREWING AROUND!" Kisame yelled, as Naruto fell to his knees. The fourteen year old boy was panting heavily, sweat dripping down his shirt and trousers, turning the orange material a shade of brown.

"Hey, this is… hard…" Naruto panted in reply, pushing himself stressfully to a kneeling position. Not far to his right, Gaara stood with his hands on his knees, wincing slightly from strain. Across from them, Kisame stood beside his partner, Itachi, who looked over the two of them carefully.

"They aren't cut out for this sort of training." he said, speaking to his partner. Kisame leant against the tree behind them, folding his arms and adopting a rather angered expression.

"Aside from the fact they have next to know knowledge of Genjutsu, they have underlying issues too." Kisame replied, in a serious voice, "Naruto a naïve idiot, he'll believe anything he sees and hears. And Gaara's too closed-minded to see past his first perception. Going at them like this'll be like killing two birds with one stone."

Itachi glanced at Kisame, he could see his older partner's logic, even if he didn't completely agree with it. He watched as the two boys straightened up again, Naruto's breaths shallowing and Gaara regaining his composure. Both looked like they were about ready to collapse, but neither were going to admit defeat so easily.

"But in this case, the situation may wind up with them becoming those very birds." he said. Nonetheless, he raised his hand and prepared to use the Genjutsu again, requiring him to simply point to the two training ninja. He spoke up, making sure they could hear, "Remember, shut off all your chakra and then release it in a single burst. Also keep in mind that there is no need for it to be your own chakra. If you cannot dispel the illusion on your own, have your comrade do so for you."

Then, channelling his chakra in the same way he had done several times for the past hour, he cast the illusion upon the two boys. In an instant, their eyes glazed over and their bodies tensed. Whatever it was they were seeing, neither Itachi nor Kisame had the faintest idea. Kisame glanced over to his partner, perhaps the most mysterious man he knew. His capability at doing the cruellest things often contradicted the rather pensive attitude he often displayed.

Naruto stared up as the monstrous form of the Kyubi leered down at him, jaws splitting into a grin as darkness seemed to pour from his body. It blotted out almost all of the light in the area, taking the warm, welcoming sun and replacing it with a cold, detached moon. The trees and grass seemed to blow away in a light breeze, replaced with the strange architecture of a village Naruto hadn't seen in a long time. But something was wrong. The buildings were far from whole, they were broken and in ruins. Flames burned from piles of rubble and what looked like bodies were littered across the ground. Naruto clenched his fists as he fought to maintain his sense of self, but it was proving to be a daunting task.

But then a strange form appeared, the silhouette of a man Naruto couldn't make out. He stood atop one of the broken buildings to his left, facing the Kyubi with his back to Naruto. He raised his hand into the air, and cast it aside, throwing it from the giant fox to the boy down on the ground. With an angered roar, the Kyubi was thrown in the air, where it became distorted and unrecognisable as it collided with Naruto's body.

It was forced straight into his stomach, bringing with it a searing pain that left Naruto unable to breathe. Clutching his burning gut, he fell to his knees as his mouth opened wide. But with no air in his lungs, he couldn't give voice to the scream that tried so hard to form.

"Eh-arh!" he dryly groaned, pulling his hands together. The whirling vortex that was the Kyubi crashed around violently as he did his best to shut off his own chakra. He couldn't really tell if he managed though, he was too blinded by pain, "Re-lease!"

* * * * *

"Eko!" Naruto groaned, as he began to feel his limbs go numb. He looked over to the blade still gripped in his hand, his jaw clenched from pain, "Pump some chakra into me!"

The roots began crawling up his neck, binding his head in place. Naruto watched Eko with a single wincing eye as he prayed for a response. He couldn't tell if the blade could hear him, was he affected by the Genjutsu too?

But then Naruto suddenly felt an inflow of chakra coming from the blade, and all of the camellias disappeared, roots and all. For just a moment, he lay dazed as the numbing sensation and pain he'd been feeling only seconds ago abruptly stopped. But then he regained awareness, and realised that he was somehow lying in the dark. After a quick knock, he came to find out that he had been encased in a small dome of sand. That could only mean that Gaara was defending him while he dealt with the Genjutsu.

Placing his hand on the surface of the sand, he forced enough of his Futon chakra out to break through. Gaara responded to this and allowed the barrier to crumble while he held off Yagura. The Mizukage was having a hard time counterattacking due to the relentless assaults by the sand, but he was slowly wearing away at the snaking form chasing after him.

"Alright, I'm back!" Naruto called, pushing himself back to his feet. Barely a moment after he had regained his balance however, he felt a clod of dirt hit him right in the back of his head.

"GET BACK FASTER!" Kisame yelled, from his seated position against a tree.

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Naruto replied, taking Eko and running at Yagura. The sand retreated as Naruto tagged in, taking its place at keeping Yagura on the defensive. He sliced down at the boy's torso, but his blade was simply used as a platform to kick off as Yagura lashed his foot out at Naruto. The kick connected and sent Naruto reeling around. He used the momentum to force his fist into Yagura's waist, dealing a lot more damage than the other person did, "So who is this guy anyway?"

Yagura ducked under a horizontal slash, before throwing his fist in an uppercut for Naruto's jaw. But the blond saw the move coming and tilted his head back, evading the strike before he stepped in to butt Yagura's forehead. The Mizukage stumbled back, grabbing his head as he winced in pain.

"What?!" he asked, his brow creased as he gave a defiant stare to Naruto. He raised his arms in defence as Naruto forced Eko's tip into the ground and used it as a post to swing around and kick at him. Yagura then leapt into the air as Naruto used the motion of his kick to pull his blade back out the ground and slash for his stomach.

"Y'know, that guy you were talking about!" Naruto replied, as he defended against a wave of shuriken. He stuck Eko in the ground once more and ran around him, taking the fight with his bare fists. He managed to reach Yagura before he reached the ground, blocking the swiping kick that came with his arm.

"Bastard!" Yagura growled, pulling out a kunai. He lashed out at Naruto, who leant back to avoid it, "Fight serious-"

His words were suddenly cut short as Naruto's foot struck his jaw. With the great force of a roundhouse kick, Yagura was sent off his feet and crashing through the trees, rolling across the ground messily. He got himself to a crouching position straight away, wiping away some blood from his split lip. Across from him, Naruto was also crouching down, his hand pressed on the earth as he stood like an animal.

"Hey, make you a deal." he said, with a challenging grin, "From what Kisame-sensei told me, you're really good at working with your Biju."

Yagura listened closely, but readied himself to move. He could feel Naruto's chakra rising, and no longer had any doubt that this person did indeed have a demon within him.

"If you win, we go get your buddy." Naruto explained, as his hair began to wave slightly in the breezeless air, "But if I win, you gotta show Gaara and me how to sync with our Biju. Deal?"

The crease in Yagura's brow deepened from Naruto's offer, it had obviously struck the boy as an idea. He wanted to leave Kiri with his friend, so winning this fight would gain both. And he certainly seemed confident enough in his success, even if he wasn't foolish enough to underestimate his opponent.

"Fine." he replied, dragging his hand closer to his feet. A foul wind seemed to suddenly pick up around him, lifting his hair off of his face as his sclera darkened to a deep red. The scar down his cheek seemed to thicken, it turned out that it was in fact a marking like Naruto's, and was reacting to the rise in chakra.

Across from him, Naruto was experiencing much the same. His appearance steadily grew wilder as the lines on his cheeks broadened and his teeth grew sharper. Then, in a grotesque manner, red chakra began to push itself out of his skin, slowly covering his body in a bubbling mass. Kisame and Gaara watched the spectacle from afar, both the young boys were slowly developing the same veil of red chakra.

"Looks like things are gonna get messy." Kisame noted, before looking down at Gaara, "Why don't you build a perimeter, I don't think he needs backup anymore."

Gaara looked over his shoulder at his sensei, clearly disliking the idea of having to back off from what could be a good view of an interesting fight. But regardless of his own desires, he pulled his sand back into his gourd and turned away.

"Got it." he replied, before shunshining away.

Back in the midst of the battle, the chakra around the two boys was taking form. Naruto was now stooped like a dog, and had grown what looked like long ears and a swishing tail from the red energy. Yagura on the other hand had his arms and legs spread out wide, his stomach close to the ground. The chakra enlarged around his head, forming a large pair of what appeared to be jaws, and a wide tail formed behind him, curling in the air so it hovered above.

Naruto and Yagura stared each other down, the former grinning while the other glowered. Both looked prepared to attack, but seemed like they were waiting for the other to act first.

Naruto disappeared, and a sudden sound filled the air like a sonic boom. Yagura raised his head in shock as the blond flew over him, failing to spot the tail change into a giant claw and grab him. As Naruto landed on the ground, he pulled Yagura into the air and threw him forward, sending him flying through the trees. But Yagura lashed out with his own tail and wrapped it around the trunk of a tree, swinging round and flying straight back at Naruto.

The two clashed head on, Naruto clawing as Yagura threw punches. The two then kicked off each other, before rebounding off of the trees and flying towards one another again. They clashed in the air, smashing into each other with hands, feet and tails resulting in blasts of red chakra surging around them. They then landed on the ground, caught in a deadlock as Yagura grappled with Naruto. To the blonde's great shock, the strength of the boy he was fighting had somehow increased to an insane amount. He was having little trouble pushing Naruto back, his heels digging into the ground as he backed off.

"_The hell with this!"_ Naruto thought, as he suddenly turned around and threw Yagura over his shoulder. The boy crashed straight through a tree, toppling it over and sending a cloud of dirt out in every direction.

"Careful…" Kisame muttered, folding his arms as he watched. He was certainly interested in this fight, since Gaara wasn't capable of developing a field of chakra like that he had only ever seen Naruto use it. This was the first time he'd ever seen a battle done in this way, and mused that it could very well be the first time two Jinchuriki had ever clashed like this, "Let's see how far they'll go."

* * * * *

Naruto prowled along the rocks jutting out from the river, his cloak of demonic chakra surrounding him and taking on the rough shape of the Kyubi. He looked around furtively, ignoring the crashing waterfall behind him as he looked around for anything to attack. Kisame sat cross legged atop one of the rocks by the tall falls, looking down as his student indulged in his feral desires.

"_Looks like control's not too good." _he thought, as Naruto's head perked up. The boy leapt across the rocks as he left the enclosure that the waterfall was situated in, following a sense that few humans possessed; the instincts of a beast, _"He's pretty much just an animal."_

He raised his brow in interest as from the woods to the distance, a bear emerged, both humble and unassuming. But its attention was drawn to Naruto, who stood just in front of the river watching the large beast. Naruto growled lightly, challenging the bear with a hunger for fighting. The bear responded in the same manner, snarling at the boy who stood in the way of his watering hole.

The two dangerous animals slowly crept towards each other, their voices rising in pitch and volume as they drew nearer. The bear seemed undeterred by the violent aura emanating from the deranged boy, and continued his path at his own pace. But Naruto, unable to show such restraint, lunged straight at the bear with his tail swinging over him.

Kisame grinned and winced as he heard the bear cry out in pain. He was surprised by Naruto's brutality. It was at that moment that he came to realise that if it wasn't him committing the act, the disembowelment of an enemy wasn't something he felt like watching. He instead turned his gaze to the higher reaches of the falls, where Gaara sat on a rock with the water pummelling his back. He held the wooden block of a special tree designed to strengthen nature manipulation in his lap, while he held a leaf between his palms. With his closed eyes and still form, he seemed almost like a statue.

"_Learning to cope with pain, and how to form Futon chakra at the same time." _Kisame thought, resting his head against the rock wall behind him, _"I didn't expect him to be so diligent."_

He ignored the final gurgling cries of the bear as he continued to watch his quieter student. Not for the first time he was reminded of Gaara's similarities to Itachi. Both of them had a bloody past, and both had a brooding manner about them for the majority of the time. But there was something else that Gaara seemed to share with Itachi. It was something that often came across his mind during missions with his stoic partner, and more recently during training sessions with Gaara. It was the simple fact that in both cases, he couldn't shake the feeling that both of them were hiding something.

* * * * *

The large cloud of dust slowly began to settle, lightly blowing away from the two Jinchuriki standing amidst many destroyed trees. Yagura straightened up to a standing position, forming hand seals to cast a Jutsu. He had finally adapted to the change that the Sanbi's chakra always brought on, and was now able to fight naturally with it.

"Suiton: Teppodama!" he called, before a large bulge formed in his mouth. He threw his head forward, and spat out a large mass of water that shot through the dust and tore it apart. It hit Naruto square in the chest, knocking him off of his feet and shattering yet another tree in the process. But the chakra cloak kept Naruto from feeling the impact, and he was soon on his feet again. He too had adapted, even if it wasn't to the same extent as Yagura. He threw his hands together in his own string of seals, before throwing his left arm out to the side.

Wind slowly began spiralling around Naruto's forearm, originating about a half foot from the tip of his outstretched fingers and twisting around the length of his limb to his elbow. It formed a small, stable tornado kept in perfect shape, billowing faster and faster until it formed a drill of wind. The red chakra of the Kyubi infected the wind and gave it a red glow, but it maintained its perfect shape regardless.

"Already?" Kisame wondered aloud, cocking a brow at his student's eagerness, "The idiot's gonna kill himself."

Naruto bent his arm so that the point was facing Yagura, before dashing at the highest speed he could manage. He closed the gap between the slower Jinchuriki in scarcely a moment, throwing his arm straight towards Yagura's gut.

"KA-" he began. But before he could call out his Jutsu's name, or make the impact, he was suddenly struck hard from the side. He crashed straight through a thicket of bushes, the wind around his arm disappearing from his lapse of concentration. He whipped himself back onto his feet, glaring lividly to whomever it was who attacked him. But his glare was quickly replaced with shock as he came to realise something stunning. The one who attacked him… was Gaara.

"This fight is meaningless." the red haired Shinobi said, as his sand coiled around him. Naruto frowned as he climbed out of the bushes, his chakra cloak dissipating into the air. He saw the same happen to Yagura, and noticed that strangely, his look of shock was even greater than what Naruto was feeling. As the blond drew nearer, he found out the reason. From behind Gaara, stepped out a member of Kirigakure's ANBU black ops. Naruto looked over the stranger in alarm, what was a Kiri Shinobi doing with Gaara? He fixed his eyes upon the porcelain mask, with the blue lines running down from the eyes.

Yagura stepped forward, a bewildered and stunned look on his face as he gaped. The ANBU looked at him, his mask hiding whatever expression he may have been wearing.

"Niisama…" the ANBU said, in a soft voice. Yagura frowned slightly from the way he was referred to, not knowing why he would be called such a respected term. It gave him a moment's doubt, resulting in his need to voice the question running through his mind.

"Is that-" he asked, his voice sounding remarkably dry. He looked at the other person with only vague recognition, hoping he was right, but knowing he could be wrong, "…Utakata-niisan?"


	4. A once small world, the horizon broadens

Well, it certainly looks like things have improved to a preferential level. Just gotta keep in check and make sure the situation doesn't let Naruto turn into the wimp he was before eh? That should be easily taken care of, don't know what the hell I was doing before. Anyway, from this point on I'm gonna try and stay positive, and hope that it reflects in my work

Disclaimer: Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! The Invasion of Pein is coming! I can hardly freaking wait!

* * *

**A once small world, the horizon broadens**

Naruto slipped his haori back on, lightly brushing some dirt away before loosely tying the sash. He then picked Eko up from his position against a tree and gave him the same treatment, before slipping him onto his back. Behind him, Koyane and the other five dogs had all returned, and where lying on the ground as they took a brief rest. In amongst the circle of dogs, Kisame, Gaara, Yagura and the person named Utakata sat in quiet conversation. Naruto turned to the small crowd and headed towards them, tousling his own sweat soaked hair as he neared them.

"So what's going on?" he asked, taking a seat by Koyane. As was the norm, he leant back and rested against the rising and falling body of the giant dog, who only gave the vaguest sign of noticing. Slipping his hands behind his head, he glanced over to Gaara for an explanation.

"I encountered this person while you two were fighting." Gaara replied, sitting forward while Yagura and Utakata waited quietly, "He said he merely wished to speak with Yagura-san, and was willing to allow some sand to be placed on him as a security measure. We talked on the way here, and from what he said it seemed most likely that he was the one Yagura-san spoke of."

Naruto nodded with a raised brow, glad to be up to speed. He then looked over to the two newcomers, both of whom were studying each other. The person known as Utakata had removed his mask, and from it revealed a sharp looking face with a pointed chin. His narrow, amber eyes looked over Yagura's face with a light frown, a look of misunderstanding and confusion. His thick brown hair fell down his face to just above his shoulders, covering his left eye and hanging down by his right. He raised his hand and pushed his hair from his eyes, giving his Mizukage his full attention.

"So… you don't remember anything?" he asked, in a soft voice. Yagura gave a small shake of the head, before bowing it to look at his lap.

"It's weird, I don't feel right in this body." he replied, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably, "The last thing I can remember was the mission to repair the bridge between the Omoi and Iki islands. And after that… it just felt like I was asleep. I get these slight images, but nothing that makes sense."

"Really?" Utakata muttered, his brow creasing further, "So… you don't recall being the Mizukage?"

Yagura nearly got a crick in his neck as he whipped his head up to look at Utakata, his eyes wide and brows raised as he gave a shocked expression, "What do you mean Mizukage?"

Utakata rested his arm on his knee as he turned to face Yagura. He wore the look of someone who wasn't looking forward to his next few words, but knew they had to be spoken in any case. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, before releasing them unenthusiastically.

"Yagura niisama… you're the Yondaime Mizukage." he said, in a slow and quiet tone. Yagura's brow creased into a look of complete incredulity, staring at Utakata as if the slightly older man had lost his mind.

"Mizukage…" he breathed, looking over Utakata's shoulder towards Kiri, his eyes distant with intense thought, "I'm the… Mizukage?"

"Yeah, for a while." Utakata replied, sympathetically. He looked away from his younger friend, a sorry appearance in his downcast eyes, "It was then that you started to change."

"Change?"

"Yeah… you-"

"Let's cut it short there." Kisame said, interrupting their talk. They both looked in surprise to the person who would at one time have been their senpai, both seeming to have forgotten he was even there, "He was under a Genjutsu, so nothing he did was his own actions."

"What'd I do?" Yagura asked, frowning at Kisame. It appeared the missing-nin's words had served only to make the boy more curious, and more determined to find answers.

"You didn't do anything." Kisame replied, getting to his feet. He looked Yagura straight in the eye with an expression that stressed every single syllable, "You were in a coma for the entire time you were Mizukage, at which point someone else was using your body to do as they pleased. My bet is that it was the higher ups of Kiri, so anything that happened is there fault, got it?"

All eyes were on Kisame as the eldest Shinobi turned and began walking in the direction opposite Kirigakure. Even Naruto and Gaara were taken aback by their sensei's change in attitude. Though in truth, he very rarely spoke of his time in Kiri to begin with.

Kisame came to a stop, placing his hands on his waist indecisively. He looked up ahead, from left to right as he tried to make a decision. But in the end he knew what it was he really intended to do, and glanced over his shoulder at the two Kiri nin, "I don't care who you are, there isn't a person here who knows what the councillors of Kiri are willing to do more than me. So don't get angry at yourself, get angry at them."

Yagura stared hard at Kisame, feeling that person's eyes focus specifically on his. He pushed himself to his feet, not letting the slightest sign of weakness exist, never mind show itself.

"You don't need to tell me that." he said, with an unyielding expression. He looked down to his clenched fist, his knuckles paling from the pressure he was putting into them, "Maybe it _isn't_ greater than yours, but I hate that village more than anything else. I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt n leaving that place, nor do I have any intentions of going back there."

He raised his eyes back to Kisame's, letting him see his steely certainty for himself. The blue skinned Shinobi indulged him in his desire by returning Yagura's look, and searching his eyes for a few moments. It seemed he found what he was looking for, because he then grinned before looking ahead again.

"Come on, we got a ways to go to get outside Kiri's range." he said, as he continued walking. Naruto and Gaara quickly got to their own feet, along with the dogs, and hastily followed their sensei.

"So we're definitely leaving then?" Utakata asked, pushing himself up. He watched Yagura as he awaited an answer, noticing that the boy was still deep in thought, "You sure you're ok with this?"

"Definitely." Yagura replied, with flawless resolve. He then began walking after Kisame and the others, his eyes still faraway. Utakata noticed this little fact and casually followed Yagura at a slightly faster pace. Then, in passing, he nonchalantly gave Yagura a hard thump on the arm, "Gagh! What the hell?!"

"Hey, you're not the Mizukage anymore!" Utakata grinned, before running after their new group, "Call it payback for all the suicide missions!"

* * * * *

Several hours passed with no interruptions from Kirigakure. It looked like they had successfully slipped out of their range, and were no longer being followed. The mere thought of this made Naruto giddy, they had actually managed to kidnap a Kage! He slipped his hands behind his head, unable to drop the grin spread across his face. Looking over to his right, he couldn't help but notice that Gaara too seemed unusually content. With a quick nudge, he attracted his partner's attention.

"Not bad for a couple of "runts", huh?" he asked, inclining his head towards Kisame. Gaara let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head as he faced the road again.

"That reminds me…" Kisame said, slowing down so he was beside Naruto. The younger boy looked up at him questioningly, as he gave him a cocked brow, "I can't be certain, but where you about to use _that_ Jutsu back there?"

At that moment, Naruto's chipper attitude faded away as he paled, a look of terror appearing on his face. Before he could do so much as stammer, his head was locked under Kisame's arm, a ferocious grin spread on his sensei's face, "Remind me why it is I made that incomplete Jutsu forbidden!"

"Gah- cos it'd kill me!" Naruto gasped, choking under the pressure of his sensei's grip.

"And what is it I told you to do if you ever thought of using that Jutsu as it was?" Kisame asked, moving his head closer to Naruto's.

"That I should come to you and let you do it instead!" Naruto replied, trying to prize Kisame's arm off. But it proved to be pointless, as his sensei suddenly released him.

"I didn't train you for all this time for you to tear your body up with a Jutsu like that." Kisame said, looking down at his student seriously, "Your shape manipulation isn't strong enough yet, so you mustn't use that Jutsu. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded, rubbing his already aching neck. He wished his sensei wasn't so rough on him, but he did have a point. The last time he'd tried that Jutsu, he nearly lost his arm. But he had this feeling that it had the potential to be an A, maybe even an S-rank Jutsu if he got it right. It was for that reason that he didn't abandon it, and was determined to make it work.

"I guess I sorta got overexcited." he admitted, grinning sheepishly up at his sensei.

"It's fine to enjoy your battles, but don't give you're opponent an advantage just cos you got stupid." Kisame replied, before tapping Naruto on the arm, "C'mon, we're there."

They stepped out of the trees onto the edge of a sheer cliff. Everything in near sight from this point on was ocean, with only glimmers of land out across the horizon. The sound of rolling waves cast far down below, striking the rocks and wall of the island with echoing force. Naruto looked around this sight, seeking the destination Kisame claimed they had arrived at. But there was nothing, no signs of any place that they could possibly be going.

"Where's there?" he asked, when he concluded that there wasn't anything to see. Kisame replied by patting the blonde's shoulder and passing him, heading straight for the edge of the cliff. Naruto and the others watched as Kisame glanced down the sheer drop, before unexpectedly hopping down it.

Naruto and Gaara both stepped towards the edge, looking down as Yagura and Utakata joined them. Down below the waves continued to strike the wall, but there was no sign of Kisame. But after a quick tap from Gaara and a point to the wall, Naruto spotted their sensei standing in amidst some jutting rock. He looked up at them and gestured for them to follow, before disappearing _inside_ the wall.

"_Well, guess that's where we're going."_

Naruto nodded in agreement, before stepping off the cliff after Kisame. He felt the breeze lift through his haori, causing it to billow violently as he descended. He found the rock Kisame had landed on and settled on it himself. He then turned around and found to his great shock that there was a cave hidden amongst the rock. It was very obscurely placed; from up above he never would have guessed it was here. He stepped inside, allowing the others to follow him while he headed after Kisame.

"What's with this place?" Naruto asked, as he spotted seal tags placed here and there along the walls and floors. Kisame looked over his shoulder to Naruto, nodding to the path ahead.

"One of our hideouts." he replied, as Gaara appeared behind them, "If you're not a member of Akatsuki, or a Jinchuriki, you better be ready to fight for your life."

"Whoa, rea-" Naruto began, before his eyes widened in shock, "Wait a minute, can you turn it off?"

"Hm?" Kisame sounded, looking at Naruto with a raised brow. But then he remembered Utakata, and nodded, "Sure, why not?"

He raised his hand in a single seal, though nothing noticeable really happened. However, when Yagura and Utakata joined them and nothing happened, Naruto let out a breath of relief. He looked back at Kisame, who raised his hands in a seal.

"No point going any deeper." he heard his sensei say, as the focused his chakra.

Suddenly a sound of static filled the air, like the hissing of a transceiver. Though there were no devices to make such a sound, Naruto and Gaara had removed theirs earlier, it came through louder than any such sound they had heard like it. Merely a moment after this, something began to flicker into view not far before Kisame, a translucent silhouette, glowing mostly green with other colours here and there. Naruto recognised the cloak the person who appeared was wearing, but if not for the grey eyes with the rippling black circles around the pupil, he would never have been able to guess who it was. As he recalled, none of his realms had hair like that.

"Kisame-san." Pein said, looking up at the taller Shinobi expressionlessly, "I wasn't expecting a report from you."

"There's been a little situation." Kisame replied, allowing a grin on his face, "Those two got a little edgy and decided to go after a certain Mizukage."

Pein's eyes flitted past Kisame, immediately settling on Yagura. The boy seemed surprised to be instantly identified like that, but nonetheless he kept his composure with about as much dignity as someone in his situation could manage. Pein then glanced at the other person, Utakata. His gaze lingered on this person for several moments, studying him closely.

"That's not all." he said, looking back to Kisame, "That's the Rokubi no Namekuji behind you."

Kisame's brow rose in pleasant surprise as he turned back to look at Utakata. Naruto and Gaara both looked towards the newest member of their group too, the former showing even greater shock than the latter. The two recently turned rogue Shinobi both stared back, Yagura scowling while Utakata just wore a blank expression.

"I figured it was because of the Sanbi that you wanted Yagura-niisan." Utakata said, scratching his ear absent mindedly. Yagura then stepped forward, a look of iron certainty on his face.

"Utakata has nothing to do with this!" he said hotly, locking eyes with the person in front of Kisame, "The deal was that I'd comply, but he isn't a part of that deal!"

He looked each other person in the eye, making sure everyone else could see his determination. Utakata just looked at him with slight surprise, while the others' expressions remained the same.

"Unfortunately that is unacceptable." Pein said, stepping around Kisame to get a better look at the two. Yagura's eyes instantly returned to his, his scowl worse than ever, "He is a Jinchuriki, and therefore our current mission target."

"It's not happ-" Yagura began, before coming to a sudden stop. Utakata had placed his hand on his shoulder, and stepped around him with a reassuring smile, "…Utakata?"

"It's fine, niisan." Utakata said, before looking resolutely at Pein, "I'm the Jinchuriki for the Rokubi, as you said. Whatever Yagura-niisan has agreed to, I'll share his fate. I made that decision a long time ago, and I'll stand by it now."

"Utakata!" Yagura said again, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him to face him, "You don't have to do that!"

"Of course I don't." Utakata replied, with calm seriousness, "I know you. I knew that if you ever came to your senses, the first thing you'd do is try to leave. Just like you knew that if you should ever try, I'd follow you. That was the agreement we made that day. That united, they'd never take us down. You remember?"

Yagura stared up at Utakata, his jaw clenching and his grip on his friend's arm tightening. But though he may have been able to stand up to Kisame and the others, against his friends unwavering smile his resolve could not hold. His hand slipped away, and he dropped his gaze. Utakata patted Yagura on the arm, before turning back to Pein, "Like I said, I'm in."

"That's good to hear." Pein replied, with a grateful nod, "You understand though, that Kisame-san and the others will be keeping a close eye on you?"

"That's fine."

Pein nodded again, regarding Utakata with respect. He then looked back to Kisame, taking on a more official stance, "And what of those two?"

"Their training isn't complete yet, but they managed to infiltrate the Mizukage's office and escape unharmed." Kisame replied, before correcting himself, "Well, when I say infiltrate… Kiri's numbers have dropped considerably."

Pein closed his eyes for a moment, resisting whatever comment he was considering to make. He stepped around Kisame again to look at Naruto and Gaara, both of whom were looking back at him with slight confusion. He then glanced over to Kisame, who looked back at him with a raised brow.

"I'd like a moment to speak with Naruto-san alone." he said pointedly. Kisame nodded in reply, before gesturing the others to follow him as he headed deeper into the tunnels. Naruto and Gaara glanced at each other as the latter passed by, but soon it was just the blond boy and Pein.

The two stared at each other in silence, both listening to the sounds of the others' fading footsteps. In the meantime, Pein looked Naruto up and down with interest, noting all the changes the boy had made in the short two and a half years he'd been gone.

"Though Gaara-san was never the patient one, I get the feeling that it was you who instigated this?" he asked, unnecessarily. Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "I see… well in any case you've done a good job, acquiring two Jinchuriki at such an early stage is more than I expected. However, now that we're this far along I feel there's something I should alert you to."

Naruto blinked, his hand lowering to his side at the tone of Pein's voice. It gave him a feeling of unease, heightened by the uncertainty of what could bring on this feeling, "What is it?"

"As you know, our goal is to gather the Jinchuriki and take war to the five nations." Pein explained, slowly and carefully, "Compliance from the Jinchuriki is the outcome we hope to achieve, but if that isn't possible…"

"We take 'em down." Naruto finished his expression revealing nothing, "Yeah, I know."

Pein fell silent, studying Naruto closely. He searched the boy's eyes deep, looking to see if his feeling was correct.

"You've grown." he noted, almost wistfully. Naruto just stared back, unsure of what to say in this situation. He just waited for Pein to continue, it was all he could do at that time, "There are some Jinchuriki that most likely will not comply. They are very loyal to their village, and will probably not accept our terms."

"After Gaara, I kinda figured things weren't gonna be that easy." Naruto agreed, regretfully. But then he gave a broad grin, "Still, four out of nine isn't bad, right?"

"Just because the odds are against us, doesn't mean we're giving up." Pein corrected, with a stern quality to his voice, "Compliance is the end we wish to meet. Kidnapping is the last resort, and killing is unacceptable. Do you understand?"

Naruto gave a sharp nod, feeling both appreciation and gratitude for Pein's words. Though he had no problem with butting heads with the other Jinchuriki, he definitely didn't want to kill them. He also accepted that restraining and taking them by force may be a necessary measure. He was ready for that outcome, be it a preference or not.

"I understand." he said, resolutely. He firmly met Pein's gaze, letting the enigmatic Shinobi see his conviction with his own two eyes. Pein did indeed see this, and stepped aside.

"Very well then." he said, gesturing towards the others, "I won't keep you any longer. When you get back to Ame, I'll be interested to see what you are capable of."

Naruto grinned again, nodding as he made his way to rejoin the others. Pein faded away when Naruto passed him, following the boy with his eyes as he distanced down the tunnel, "Good work, Naruto-san."

Naruto waved back as Pein disappeared, a pleased smile on his face. Once the man with the strange eyes was gone, he broke into a run as he tried to catch up with the others.

* * * * *

It was this place that they were to rest for the night, a place where no Shinobi could get to them without them being alerted. They sat in a corner of the dark, dank cave, with a fire burning in the middle of the circle they formed. Well, it wasn't really much of a circle. Gaara had left to watch the waves outside, and Kisame was laid down in the corner with his sedge hat resting on his face as he snoozed. That just left Naruto, Yagura and Utakata sitting in a triangle, staring into the fire.

"It's strange, to think we're missing-nin now." Utakata said, with a faraway look, "I kinda figured I'd wind up dead on some mission."

"We're gone now, so that doesn't matter." Yagura replied, looking at the forehead protector he'd removed from his shirt. He cast his eyes across the emblem in the light of the fire, a look of bitter nostalgia on his face. He then dropped it into the flames, straightening up and looking to his friend, "Forget about it."

"I guess." Utakata yawned, stretching his arms high. He then looked at Naruto with a raised brow. He reached around the fire and extended his hand, "Hey, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Utakata."

"U-Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto replied, smiling feebly as he shook Utakata's hand. He found it kind of strange to introduce yourself like that. Then again, etiquette wasn't exactly the sort of thing Kisame focused on in their training, "Nice to meet you."

"Same here." Utakata said, returning the smile as he sat back down. Yagura shook his head, apparently this attitude was commonplace for the dark haired Shinobi, "So be straight with me, what is it that we're supposed to be doing Naruto-san, or should it be senpai?"

"Uh… Naruto-san's fine." Naruto replied. He certainly didn't think someone like him was anyone's senpai.

"What's our objective?" Yagura asked, rephrasing Utakata's words to a more useful end. Naruto instantly recognised this. It looked like it would be a while before he would trust them. He leant forward, resting his arms on his knees as he looked at the two of them.

"Right now the only thing I know for sure is that we've gotta get all the Jinchuriki to side with us." he explained, turning his eyes from one person to the other, "Getting them to willingly leave their village and join us, that's what I've been training for. After that… we'll have to see where we stand before we make any clear decision."

"So _you_ don't even know." Yagura muttered, bowing his head into his arms, "Fantastic."

Utakata let out a small smile as he shook his head, patting Yagura on the back. He then slipped his hands behind his back and lay down on the ground, apparently choosing now to get some sleep. Not long after that, Yagura leant down on his side, curling into a ball as he too decided to call it a day. Naruto watched as they both drifted off, one looking troubled while the other just relaxed. It was strange how the two seemed to contrast; it made him curious about how they could be so close.

"_Well, I guess I'll find out at some point."_ he thought, shrugging to himself as he got to his feet. He walked away from the fire and headed to the tunnel, following the faint light and sound of waves as he made his way to the entrance.

Eventually it came into view, and with it, so did Gaara. The red haired boy stood with his back to Naruto, leaning against the rocks as he watched the moon and stars shine across the ocean. He lightly acknowledged Naruto as the blond approached him, but never took his eyes on the view outside.

"How's it going?" Naruto asked, resting his back against the other wall as he joined his friend.

"Fine." Gaara replied, as the lights of the sky and the reflections of the ocean slithered across his green, pupiless eyes. He had quite the content look about him, like a man at peace in the moment he was in. It was a look he never wore when they were in villages, towns or other such man made habitats. Naruto had at one point come to learn that as long as Gaara was separate from civilisation, he was rather peaceful.

Naruto smiled to himself as he joined Gaara in watching the sea. The lights danced across the water's surface, while glittering in the sky through the thin, passing clouds. The only sounds were of the calming oceans, the ebbs and flows coming as naturally as they always did. It had taken him a long time to realise it, but in the midst of nature, where everything happened of its own whim and was unaffected by man, Gaara seemed almost happy. And to be honest, at times like these, Naruto kind of felt that way too.


	5. Friends, or just allies?

Woo, plot idea just came to mind, and it's a doozy considering what i can do about it. Once more, there are no fillers in this one, everything will definitely serve a purpose in the end. And any opinions on Utakata's characterisation would be much appreciated, I did make a big deal out of it in part 1. Also, it seems some of you are having trouble imagining the new Naruto, Gaara and Eko. So if there are any Deviant Art guys out there who are interested in drawing up the designs for these new looks, please contact me.

Disclaimer: Man I'm nervous about Utakata. He's a vital character, so I hope I make him likeable.

* * *

**Friends, or just allies?**

It was as busy a day as ever in Nami no Kuni, with commerce at an all time high and the streets filled with vendors selling goods from all over the land. Footsteps and voices could be heard from every direction as people got their fill of whatever they needed, or just wanted to buy. With the warm sun shining down, and scarcely a wind to the air, it really did seem like a perfect day.

Outside one of the many shops of the bustling island, Naruto, Kisame and Gaara stood waiting for Yagura and Utakata. It had been Kisame's idea that Utakata get a change of clothing, since running around in an ANBU uniform was hardly a good way of remaining inconspicuous. And so they stopped here, at a specialist store to collect the order both boys had made earlier.

"Man, what's keeping them?" Naruto muttered, with a bored expression. He leant on Eko's hilt, the tip of the blade embedded in the ground like a post. He ignored the wary looks people were giving them; he had grown accustomed long ago. He perked up suddenly as the door opened and Yagura stepped out. He hadn't changed much, but he had replaced the cowl Naruto had destroyed and now had a sedge hat hanging loosely behind him like everyone else, "Hey, what's keeping him?"

"He's just checking it out now." Yagura replied, as he took his place beside Gaara and joined them in waiting. From a brief glance between the two of them, Naruto mused that Gaara and Yagura were remarkably similar. It came to a surprise, but Gaara was actually taller than Yagura. However, they both wore the same, blank expression, like someone waiting patiently for something they knew was going to arrive. Fortunately, their wait wasn't much longer. Only a few moments later, the door opened and Utakata stepped out.

"Oh for the love of…" Kisame muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Utakata was dressed in a long and very baggy sky blue kimono, with a plain blue hem running down the middle. It was loosely tied with a pale orange sash, leaving most of his chest bare and revealing a green wooden flash held within the folds. The kimono reached down past his feet, dragging across the ground as he walked. And the sleeves were about as wide as the ones on Naruto's haori, though they reached all the way down his arm. It really was a turnaround from the uniform he had been wearing not ten minutes ago.

"What?" he asked, looking between the only ones who reacted. Kisame was muttering something to himself with his hand still obscuring his face, while Naruto was grinning broadly.

"Heh heh, I like your style!" the blond said, stepping around and patting Utakata on the back. It was there that he noticed a small insignia just between the shoulder blades, three bubbles rising to the surface. He suddenly made a connection between those, the container, and that thing in his hand that looked like a trumpet bent out of shape, "What's with the bubble thing?"

"What about it?" Utakata asked, looking at Naruto blankly. Before Naruto could elaborate however, Kisame cleared his throat pointedly. All heads turned to look at the eldest Shinobi, who had a tired look on his face.

"We'll gather supplies while we're here." he said, reaching into his cloak. He pulled out a couple of small pouches, tossing one to Gaara and the other to Naruto, "Gaara and Yagura-san will collect food, while Naruto and Utakata-san re-supplies our equipment. I gotta go check some stuff out, so Ill catch you at the bridge at noon, got it?"

After brief mutters of confirmation, the group split up in several directions. Naruto and Utakata turned their backs on the other three and looked at each other. The pairings seemed a little odd, but it wasn't a big deal. They just shrugged before heading off.

They made their way through the busy crowds, fairly absent minded in spite of their task. Utakata slipped his hands behind his head, looking unseasonably relaxed for someone apparently in the middle of something.

"So I guess we're comrades huh?" he mused, looking at Naruto with a friendly smile, "You up for talking?"

"What about?" Naruto asked, once again confused by the strange mannerisms of the taller boy. However, strange though he may be, Naruto found it hard not to like this guy, though he couldn't work out the reason for it.

"I just figure if we're gonna be travelling together, we might as well learn something, y'know?" Utakata replied with a shrug. He then lowered his hand to point to himself with his thumb, grinning broadly, "My name's Utakata, I come from Kirigakure and I've got the Rokubi sealed inside of me."

"I already knew all that." Naruto muttered, giving Utakata a tired look.

"Well, you still have the advantage." Utakata countered, with an impertinent look in his eyes. Naruto sighed, catching the older nin's drift.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he said, yawning as he rubbed his head. It was then that he managed to find something he didn't like about Utakata. The guy was so relaxed, just looking at him made Naruto feel like taking a nap, "Well, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I'm from Konohagakure and I've got the Kyubi."

"Kyubi?" Utakata replied, with a raised brow. It was hard to tell if he was impressed, or just surprised. Maybe it was a mixture of both. In either case, he soon let it go and raised the other point of interest, "So what was it like in Konoha?"

"You mean the village, or the people?" Naruto asked, giving his partner-for-the-time-being a knowing look.

"Ha ha, point taken." Utakata admitted, with a smile. He then cast his eyes to the right, spotting something of interest, "Hey, I think there's some stuff here."

Naruto looked over in the direction Utakata was referring to. It looked like a sort of cosmetics stall, selling fragrances for men and women, among other things. Naruto looked from the stall to the person beside him, his expression growing steadily more incredulous as he saw the look of deep concentration on Utakata's face.

"Uh… I don't think this is the kind of stuff we're looking for." Naruto said, his opinion of Utakata steadily changing. His words attracted the dark haired boy's attention; he looked to the blond and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't get the wrong idea." he said, reaching into his kimono. He lifted it open and showed Naruto a long row of small glass vials sitting in a thin leather strap attached to his clothes. He then picked up one of the perfumes, raising it to the light to study it, "If they're in liquid form, I can change the chemical composition and make use of them."

Naruto looked at the vials in surprise, before lifting his eyes to the bottle of perfume. He finally rested his eyes on Utakata's, his brows not lowering a centimetre as he gave the older boy an impressed look, "You can do that?"

"Yeah, thanks to some help from a certain someone." Utakata replied, as he placed the perfume back down, "Problem is none of this stuff is labelled."

"Oh I can help you there." said the stall vendor, as he finished assisting another customer. He was an old man with a thick moustache and a face creased with smile lines. He readjusted his red bandana as he looked up at his two potential customers, he wasn't the tallest of men either, "I keep a list of the ingredients used, don't want my customers having allergic reactions do I?"

"Then I'd be very grateful if you let me see it, Oji-san." Utakata replied, with a warm smile.

The stall keeper returned the gesture before stooping beneath the table holding his wares. He fidgeted about briefly before coming back to the surface with a thick clipboard held in both his hands. Utakata stepped around the stall and gratefully accepted the clipboard, before he began looking through it with a crease in his brow that suggested he wouldn't notice if a thunderstorm suddenly hit.

Naruto stood idly by as Utakata studied the list, suddenly feeling very aware of himself and the place he was. It seemed to be mostly women in the area, which made him all the more self conscious. Give him a fight with a dozen armed Shinobi any day, but it had been a long time since he had seen so many females in one place.

"Man, I swear everyone's looking at us." he muttered under his breath. It was these words that proved that Utakata wasn't as dead to the world as he seemed. He glanced up at Naruto as he licked his fingers and turned a page on the clipboard.

"If it makes you feel better, you can tell them you're the seme one." he said, smirking to himself at his own joke. But Naruto didn't understand the terminology, and was left frowning at Utakata. But before he could ask, he heard a loud gasp coming somewhere to his left. He looked down, spotting a little girl with brown hair tied in pig tails. To her chest she clutched a paperback book, though from this position Naruto couldn't tell what it was. The girl gave him an affronted look, her green eyes magnified through her thick rimmed glasses.

"PERVERT!" she yelled out, taking Naruto by surprise. Beside her, the girl's mother looked at her daughter reproachfully, before taking her hand and marching her away. Naruto was just left watching the girl with an exasperated look. He suddenly got the feeling he didn't _want _to know what Utakata had been referring to.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, a few streets away, Gaara and Yagura stood inside a shop selling preserved food. The red haired boy studied the packages before him, giving them consideration most didn't usually offer to such a task. That was Yagura's opinion anyway, he thought Gaara was taking this a bit too seriously.

"You take your time with these things?" Yagura asked, his feeling of boredom rising. This wasn't exactly what he was expecting his first task to be after escaping from Kiri.

"Leave it to Kisame-sensei and Naruto to decide our meals and we'd have died a long time ago." Gaara replied, taking a package containing an assortment of green vegetables, "That's why it usually falls to me to make sure that doesn't happen."

"I see…" Yagura muttered, his already low opinion on the blond boy degrading further. He waited indolently for Gaara to make his decision, wishing he could be doing something at least mildly interesting.

"So how does it feel?" Gaara asked, as he placed the package back down again. He glanced over as Yagura gave him a blank look, before elaborating further, "Not many are in a situation like yours. What's it like to not have any memories?"

Yagura cocked a brow at Gaara, surprised at being asked such an in-depth question. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time the two of them had actually spoken to one another, despite Naruto's general chatty nature.

"There's not much to say." he replied, leaning on the wall of the shop. Gaara glanced at him again, before returning his attention to the task at hand, "It's not like I don't have _any _memories. It's like I just went to sleep and woke up a hell of a lot later than usual."

Gaara grunted, acknowledging Yagura's words with the least amount of effort possible. It didn't really bother Yagura though, he was hardly opening his heart up to Gaara after all. However, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. There was something Yagura was curious about too.

"You don't sleep, do you?" he asked, crossing his arms passively. This time Gaara didn't give any sign of acknowledgement, seemingly acting as though he hadn't heard anything, "You were either tending the fire or watching the waves."

"Insomnia is a by product of the Ichibi." Gaara explained, turning around and looking into the aisle behind him, "I rest, but I don't sleep. By now, I'm not sure I could if I tried."

Yagura looked at the back of Gaara's head, personally wondering what it would be like to never sleep. It seemed maddening to him, but then again, the Sanbi had strange sleeping patterns too. He could go days without sleep, and then drop like a rock. But that wasn't really the same in the end.

"Hmm…" he murmured, bowing his head.

* * * * *

In another corner of the small island village, Kisame stood at the bottom of a staircase leading down into an underground room. He glanced up to the street just a couple of feet above him; there were very few people around to disturb his work. He was glad of that, a commotion wasn't really what he needed right now.

He looked down at the person in front of him, whose back was pressed against the wall. He was a weasel of a man, cowering at the sight of the giant Shinobi. His thick woollen hat and purple hooded jacket were unseasonable for this place. That mixed with his long white hair, black spike markings under his eyes and the katana held at his waist were giveaways to the fact that he didn't really belong here. Kisame pressed his hand against the wall the man occupied, leaning over him with a malevolent grin, "So then I hear Gato is dead. Any clue as to why that is?"

"W-well, you see-" the man stammered, obviously uncomfortable with his situation. He shuffled and fidgeted under the threatening gaze of Kisame, suddenly wishing he hadn't gotten up that morning, "He- he was killed y-years ago. We tried taking this village, but-but then a team of Konoha nin showed up and started guarding old man Tazuna."

"Is that so?" Kisame asked, his grin widening. He loosened up on the quivering man, resting his back against the wall and crossing his arms, "Interesting though that may be, what I'm more curious about are the people they hired to stop that."

He was met with a creased brow as the little man tried to comprehend his meaning. It took him several moments of sweat filled concentration, but eventually he came to realise what Kisame was asking "You mean-"

* * * * *

Naruto and Utakata began making their way to the meeting point, their task now definitely complete. Utakata carried a bag on his back filled with the items they had purchased. After the embarrassing visit to that cosmetics shop, they had moved on to getting proper equipment, like shuriken. Naruto's stores had been running down, he had a bad habit of overdoing it when it came to his smaller weapons. They had also stopped in a chemist though, Utakata claimed there were more things he needed there. By the time they were out, the pouch Kisame had given them was considerably lighter.

"Think we got enough?" Utakata asked, shrugging his light load back into place. It hadn't taken them too long to gather the equipment, they just needed to head into a couple more stores on their wander around.

"We don't need that much stuff, since we carry our main weapons with us all the time." Naruto replied, gesturing to Eko behind him. His expression then became dry as his eyes narrowed, "I get the feeling Kisame-sensei is just trying to keep me out of the way with this sorta thing."

Utakata let out a light laugh, feeling empathy for the boy next to him. Far be it for him to say he didn't know what that sort of thing was like, in the past Yagura would often give of the vibe that he was just humouring Utakata.

They reached the entrance to the village, a long bridge carrying over from the island to the Land of Fire on the other side of the vast stretch of water. Naruto glanced up at the plague placed on an arch above the bridge, only noticing it just now.

"The Great Lee Bridge." he read aloud, in a quiet voice, "I wonder who this Lee guy is?"

"You say something?" Utakata asked, glancing back at Naruto. But the blonde just shook his head, before pointing over to a bench on the side of the road.

"Let's wait for the others over there." he said, as he changed direction slightly. Utakata followed him wordlessly, and the two walked towards the green painted wooden seat. Naruto removed Eko and rested him against the side of the bench while Utakata lowered his bag onto the ground before the two lowered themselves down, watching the passers-by aimlessly.

A cool breeze fluttered by, mixed with the salty scent of the sea. From overhead, the gulls gave their calls to one another as they floated through the sky. It was a warm day, and so the birds had a simple time riding the thermals, even they had a peaceful time in this weather. Naruto looked to Utakata, who was dozing off with his eyes half closed. Though after a quick nudge, the dark haired boy jolted back up.

"Let's see what you can do then." Naruto said, nodding down at the bag on the ground. Utakata raised a brow as he glanced at his supplies, before smirking up at the blond.

"You first." he said, challengingly. Naruto returned the expression, understanding that fair was fair. He cast a glance around for something to show off with, and came to find a wooden signpost not too far off Utakata's left. He pointed towards it, before forming a few quick hand signs. Then, raising his fingers to his mouth, he pursed his lips before letting out a short, sharp exhale.

_Crack._

Utakata raised his brow in surprise as a small hole broke through the wooden post, clearing straight through to the other side. He gave an impressed look; it must have taken quite some training to make such a tiny and precise hole like that. But it seemed Naruto wasn't quite finished, as another few hand signs later, he made the same motion, but this time inhaled.

The calm air was suddenly disturbed by a high pitched whistle as air rushed through the hole in the post towards Naruto. It rose in pitch and volume until people started to turn and look at the post bewilderedly. To them, it must have seemed as though the post was making the noise of its own accord, as there was no breeze to justify such a sound. A few moments later it disappeared, leaving everyone with a ringing noise in their ears. Though they continued to stare for several moments after, they soon came to realise it wasn't going to happen again. So they continued on their way, thinking of how they'd tell their friends about the strange whistling post.

"Not bad." Utakata mused, looking at the crowds with sorry amusement. He could already imagine a legend forming here. He shook it off though, deciding it was his turn to show off.

Reaching down into his back, he pulled out a small clay bowl, some specific bottles of liquid and a dropper. Placing the bowl on the ground, he began tipping out small amounts of the contents of the three bottles, two from the chemist and one from the fragrance stall.

Once the mixture had set in, forming a dark gold mixture, he raised his hands and began forming seals, the hare, the rat, the boar and finally the tiger. Naruto watched as Utakata, while maintaining the tiger seal, lowered the tips of his forefingers into the solution before him. Then, to the blonde's surprise, vapour began rising from the liquid and into the air, leaving the sweet smell of valerians lingering around. Once he was done, the mixture had become both colourless and odourless, looking just like water.

"Careful not to take any deep breaths." Utakata warned, as he took the dropper and used it to take the liquid out of the bowl and into the tube. He then took one of the vials from his kimono and emptied the contents into it, fixing the cork firmly in place afterwards. There was still a little of the new solution in the dropper however, it seemed it was that which he was going to make use of. He took his flask and opened the lid, letting the tiny amount of liquid drop into it, "Watch this."

Carefully, he raised the small trumpet-like object he'd been carrying all day and delicately dipped the broad end into the flask. He then lifted it back out and replaced the lid, before looking around for a target. His eyes fell upon a seagull resting on a bench on the other side of the road, and a smile spread across his lips. Making sure Naruto kept his eyes on the bird, he placed the other end of the instrument into his mouth and gently blew air into it.

A bubble formed at the end of the device, growing in size until it was about as big as a saucer. It lifted in the air and gently floated along towards the unsuspecting gull, the light shining off the floating bulb and giving it a strange colour.

But then, all of a sudden the bubble shifted violently in an unforeseen breeze, lifting high into the air. Instead of its designated target, it struck the face of a man in a woollen hat and purple hooded jacket. The man blinked in surprise, taking a sharp inhale from the unexpected burst on his face. Then, after a few short seconds, his eyes drooped as he tilted in the air. But a few moments later, he collapsed on the ground, snoring loudly as his katana noisily struck the earth. Naruto and Utakata were left watching the sudden dozer, before turning their gaze to each other. Unable to restrain themselves, they both broke out in a fit of laughter.

* * * * *

Later, as the sky began to darken, Gaara and Yagura left the street with the latter carrying a bag full of herbs, spices and other such flavourings. They looked across to the bridge they'd agreed as their meeting point, spotting Naruto and Utakata lazing around.

"Glad to see they've had a fulfilling time." Yagura muttered, shouldering his weighty bag with light hearted contempt for them both.

"Like I said, it keeps Naruto out of the way." Gaara replied, as they made their way to join them, "The only thing he's really good for outside of missions is killing pigs."

Yagura glanced at Gaara, feeling a little queasy as he came to realise what their main diet would be from now on. Living in Kiri, he had been used to fresh fish, but mammals were a different case altogether.

"You get the stuff?"

Yagura glanced behind him in surprise; he hadn't noticed Kisame appear behind them. Yet there he was, a giant shadow with his sedge hat keeping the sunlight from his face. Yagura turned his gaze forward again, the question clearly wasn't directed at him.

"As much as was on offer." Gaara replied, without looking back. He had never quite been sure when he was assigned the role of the cook, but he had taken it on without complaint. He had been getting sick of dried meat anyways.

"Good to hear." Kisame said, looking up at the other two dozing on the bench. He then spotted on the opposite side the man he'd interrogated earlier unconscious on a second bench. Judging from the smiles on the two boys' faces, that had been their doing, "Looks like we've got another idiot in our midst."

"I could have told you that myself." Yagura sighed, having reached the same conclusion himself. Though this was rather high level compared to the other stuff he had seen his friend do in the past.

They reached the other two, who appeared to be in such a relaxed state that they didn't notice the arrival of the others. It would seem despite their best efforts, even Utakata had inhaled just a smidgen too much of the solution.

"Hey, wake up!" Kisame barked, immediately earning the full attention of both Naruto and Utakata. The blond staggered to his feet as he realised they were no longer alone, still slightly disoriented from the effects of the drug.

"Wha- hey, uh, Kishame-sensei." he said, with a very slight slur. He frowned in confusion as he realised his tongue felt rather numb. But after a few moments, he managed to regain some of his composure, looking up at his sensei with a raised brow, "So where now?"

"I got a lead on something." Kisame replied, as a grin appeared on his face, "Call it a… _graduation test_."


	6. The rising light of dawn

Hrnn... tired... it's 01:39 am through here. This isn't funny, I'm 17, I should be hyperactive. But... sleepy. This is mostly a "by the way" chapter, the mission will be the next one. This is some of the stuff reviewers have been asking about, just to clarify on certain points. Anyway, too tired to say more. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow to lots of interesting reviews eh? Heh, even in a half-sleep state I'm still a chancer.

Disclaimer: Manga chapter 487, beyond awesome. Kinda bummed about the delayed anime episodes... but... zzz...

* * *

**The rising light of dawn**

Naruto and the others sat in a circle around the campfire, logs providing them with some level of comfort. They silently watched as a boar roasted on a spit above the flaming pile beneath. The smell of pork and herbs filled the moist night air, making the mouths of Yagura and Utakata water. Apparently the former wouldn't have as much of a problem with this kind of dining as he first thought.

The faint sounds of chirping crickets filled the air, mixing with the hiss of the flames as juices dripped from the boar and into the midst of the blazing fire. The only person who was moving was Naruto, who couldn't refrain from his incessant fidgeting. He was constantly glancing behind him, back into the wild he had only returned from a short while ago.

"Hey, how long do you think it'll take?" he asked, his leg bouncing up and down restlessly. Kisame watched him with a cocked brow; it wasn't hard to see what was on his mind. Looking at how quick he had collected their dinner, and what a messy job he had of it, his thoughts were as clear as day.

"Calm down, there's little chance he's still there." he said, as he took Samehada and lightly ran it across the back of the boar. Enough was shredded off for the blue-skinned Shinobi to find out that it was nearly ready, "This'll probably be a reconnaissance mission at best."

"Still, always be ready for a fight, right?" Naruto asked, undeterred by his sensei's words. Kisame sighed, shaking his head. Though he had come to accept Naruto as his protégé, even he had been surprised by just how much the boy had changed, becoming a near reflection of his younger self.

"_Doesn't look like he's gonna be much use this time, huh?"_

Kisame let out an inward chuckle, silently agreeing with Eko on this matter. Despite the similarities, Naruto was still unable to focus on anything else if there was a fight involved. That was probably his greatest fault, and so far the hardest to stamp out.

Several minutes of silence passed, involving more of the same as Naruto looked from the fire to the woods behind him. Both Kisame and Yagura were steadily growing more and more annoyed with Naruto's fidgeting. Both were about ready to start yelling when Gaara got to his feet, earning Naruto's full attention, "Is it ready?"

"Yeah." Gaara replied, pulling a kunai from the bag containing the herbs and other such things. Naruto did the same, pulling a kunai out from his sleeve as he stood up. The two of them grabbed a plate and began carving through the boar, using their futon chakra to speed things up. Naruto handed the slab of pork he now held to the person nearest to him, Kisame. Gaara did the same, handing an equally large piece to Utakata, who then passed on to Yagura. In no time, the sound of meat being torn apart overtook the sounds of the fire and crickets, leaving Utakata and Yagura with both incredulous and slightly disgusted looks. Gaara was the only one of the three eating that wasn't making a mess of things, and even he was a little less than savage with the small distance between him and his plate.

"Wow." Yagura commented, wondering if his appetite could take such a spectacle.

"Yeah." Utakata concurred, his brow raised as he watched the show. Neither were quite sure what to make of it. But the smell rising up their nostrils soon aroused their stomachs, and their attentions diverted as they began eating too.

Loud grunts and chewing aside, it was a fairly peaceful night tonight. Utakata raised his gaze to the moon, watching its pale light as he chewed on his food. However, the peace was disrupted as Naruto raised himself from his seat to get more to eat, and accidentally knocked his blade to the ground. Utakata raised his brow peculiarly as Naruto winced and actually _apologised _to the sword, righting it before resuming his intended task.

"What's the deal with that blade anyway?" Yagura asked, apparently noticing the same as his close friend, "How did it break my Genjutsu?"

Kisame glanced over to Naruto as he tore a chunk off his pork, holding the remaining part in his hand. Naruto didn't need to return the look to know what his sensei was thinking. He put his plate aside and picked Eko up, resting the blade on his lap.

"This was a gift from sensei." he explained, looking over the blade in the light, "I've been fighting with him for years now. He's called Ekokaeten."

"Kisame-san gave it to you?" Yagura repeated, looking over to the giant Shinobi, "Then it's one of _those_ swords?"

"Yeah, the seventh sword." Kisame replied, before pushing the last of his meat into his mouth. He swallowed heavily, before sucking on the ends of his fingers and leaning forward, "Those two have grown pretty strong together, looks like I made the right choice."

Naruto laughed in reply to Kisame's words, not taking his eyes of the still glistening metal. He saw himself in the reflection of the steel, and suddenly got hit with a strange feeling of nostalgia.

* * * * *

"HEY, SENSEI!" Naruto yelled, appearing at the top of a plateau. He looked down at Kisame, who was watching him from the grassy plains below. The hot sun was beating down on Naruto's back, but that wasn't the only reason for the sweat visibly pouring down his face.

"WHAT?" Kisame yelled back up, his voice quietened slightly by the distance. Naruto pulled with all his strength, and began to make his descent down the wall of the plateau. He failed to comprehend however the sheer weight of the object in his hands, and as a result was pulled off the wall and forced to plummet to the ground, crying out at the top of his voice. He vaguely noticed Kisame shaking his head and glancing at Gaara, who begrudgingly released some sand to help Naruto out. Saved from a crushing fall, the motion was replaced by a short drop as Gaara decided he was close enough to the ground.

"Ow…" Naruto muttered, rubbing his arm and wincing.

"_Hey, get the hell off me!"_

"Wha- sorry!" Naruto exclaimed, falling back off of the object he'd carried with him. Kisame stepped over, looking down at the unfamiliar thing with a raised brow.

It was a giant blade, easily as big as Naruto was. It had a dark golden hilt that was roughly a half foot long, and not like that on any blade made in the five nations. It had a cross-guard in place of a tsuka, and a very wide blade that took up most of the fourteen inch guard. The blade itself was double edged, and ran down a steady recline for an incredible three feet, before meeting to a point for another final foot. There was no doubt that this blade was too big for Naruto, it was even bigger than he was!

"Damn, this is troublesome." Kisame muttered, as he took the hilt of the blade and lifted it like it was nothing. He studied it closer, noting the shallow crimson groove running along the centre of the blade from the hilt to the tip. There was no doubt that this blade wasn't made of this region, but at the same time he knew very well that this was the Ekokaeten, "However, it _is _very interesting."

"What the hell happened?!" Naruto demanded, waving his arms and squinting, "I was just training with him, and he just started getting bigger!"

Kisame chuckled faintly as he looked over Eko's new form. With great ease, he whirled the blade through the air, holding him in a single hand. It took him a moment to respond, and even then he kept his eyes on Eko.

"Eko-kun _is _an adaptive blade after all." he muttered, raising the sword to the light again, "But to change this much…"

"What is it?" Naruto asked, his sensei's slight awe having a contagious effect on him. He watched the light shimmering off the large blade, and noticed that the colour of the sheen was red where it should have been white.

"Eko used to be a standard katana." Kisame explained, his eyes narrowing as he brought Eko closer to his face, "But now he isn't even a blade of this region."

Naruto continued to remain slightly awestruck, watching as Kisame turned the sword and stuck him firmly in the ground. From this perspective, he could see that from the tip of the blade to the end of the hilt, ultimately Eko was larger even than him. That confirmed a great fear of Naruto's, how the hell was he supposed to use a blade that large?!

"Zweihaender Ekokaeten." Kisame said, in a definitive tone. Naruto looked up at his sensei with a raised brow, before turning his gaze to Eko.

"Swhyhinder?" he repeated, with atrocious pronunciation. Kisame shook his head, placing his hand on the hilt of Eko.

"No, _Zweihaender._" he corrected, his interest keeping him in a good enough mood to save from annoyance, "It's a blade from the far west, even further than the Land of Earth. You don't see many of them around here, and I doubt there's anyone who knows how to actually use one… well, maybe _one_."

Behind them, Gaara seemed to have taken an interest. Abandoning his leaf training, to which he now successfully achieved to cut halfway through, he got to his feet and walked over to the great sword. Kisame and Naruto both watched as he took the hilt in his hand and tried to pull it out of the ground. But when it didn't budge a centimetre, he increased his efforts. Brow creasing, he tried again to prise it from the earth. And once more he was unsuccessful. Losing interest as quickly as he gained it, he abandoned the effort.

"It's heavy." he muttered, before turning and heading back to his training. Kisame and Naruto followed him with their eyes for a couple of moments, before looking at each other. Naruto had at least managed to drag it along. There was no guesses about the food chain in terms of physical strength anyway.

"So, wait a minute." Naruto said, as he gripped the hilt and tried to wriggle it free himself. He managed at least a little more than Gaara, and felt sort of glad the red haired boy had his back to them, "What am I supposed to do with Eko like this?"

"_You mean what am _I _supposed to do with a wielder that can't even pick me up?"_

"There's no choice I guess." Kisame muttered, his tone contradicting the evil grin on his face, "Looks like we need some advanced strength training."

Naruto paled. Suddenly he wasn't feeling very well.

* * * * *

Naruto let out a faint laugh as he studied the blade, though he was kind of annoyed. He didn't like the person he was, and thinking back usually made him feel quite mad at himself for the idiot he used to be. It was a strange sort of regret, to dislike ones past self simply for being who they were. But it was one he carried with his memories, along with the resolve never to become that person again.

"_You can quit staring anytime now."_

Naruto blinked in surprise, he hadn't even realised he'd been out of it. He quickly put the blade aside, before looking around for any indicator as to how long he'd been daydreaming. The boar was a fine indicator, with most of the meat gone, "Gwah!"

He leapt to his feet, immediately slicing off one of the last remaining slabs and claiming it for his own. Yagura and Utakata were both taken aback by his outburst; they both had finished eating several minutes ago.

"So who is this person we're looking for?" Gaara asked, his own hunger also sated. He looked directly at Kisame, the person most likely to know the answers. He wasn't disappointed. The mountainous man wiped his mouth and leant forward to explain the situation.

"Back when I first started training Naruto, we were travelling through a place a few miles from here." he said, glancing at Yagura and Utakata to make sure they were paying attention, "Things were going fine, until we encountered an… _old friend_."

The eyes of the three listeners flickered over as Naruto started sniggering to himself with an excited look. He seemed to be getting antsy once more, which served to heighten their interest considerably.

"You may not remember, Yagura-san, but I'm sure Utakata-san does." Kisame continued, his eyes glistening as he looked into Utakata's, "A certain man by the name of Momochi Zabuza."

Naruto cocked a brow as for the first time, he saw Utakata's expression darken. Though he had only known the guy for a few days, the free spirited person had maintained a kind of optimism few Shinobi maintained. Yet at the slightest mention of that name, all of those ideals disappeared. Yagura watched his friend's face, realising there was something important he was missing.

"What is it?" the shortest boy asked, looking at the tallest in concern.

Utakata remained silent for a moment, slouching forward and staring into the fire. The flickering flames reflected in his eyes, adding to a blaze that held no physical form. The look on his face was scary, even after the company was considered. Naruto leant forward too, his intrigue rising with Utakata's deepening expression.

"A long time ago, Momochi Zabuza made an attempt on your life." he said, his tone bitter and resentful. Yagura's brow creased from this new, of course he had no recollection of such a thing, "He nearly killed you, but he made a mistake and was forced to flee. Not without killing Junko-chan first though."

Yagura's eyes widened in shock from the name, as finally there came something he could recall. Naturally neither Naruto nor Gaara knew who this person was, and even Kisame seemed mystified.

"Junko…" Yagura repeated, his eyes fixed on Utakata's face, "… She's dead?"

"Yeah." Utakata confirmed, straightening up and rubbing his tired eyes, "It's because of her that you're still alive."

Both Yagura and Utakata fell silent then, falling into their thoughts and forgetting the world around them. Naruto was left watching the two of them, wondering just who this Junko person was.

"_Sounds like Utakata's got a vendetta against that guy."_

"Unh!" Naruto quietly exhaled, suddenly alerted by Eko's idea. Though he could sympathise with Utakata, he also had his own wants, selfish though they may be. He didn't want to give up his own chance at getting back at Zabuza, and that Haku guy too if he could. However, a conflict would most definitely be harmful to the mission, to which he knew would take priority. So he spoke up, looking directly at Utakata, "So what do you want to do?"

Utakata let out a long, loud exhale as he inclined back, slipping his hands behind his head as he leant against the tree behind him, "I don't really have any plans to kill him myself." he said, closing his eyes, "As long as he's dead, that's fine with me. Besides, I'm not really sure I could take him anyway, one on one fighting isn't the ideal scenario for me."

Inwardly, Naruto let out a sigh of relief, followed by a secret grin. As long as Utakata said that, then there was no longer any problem. But more than that, he saw this as a great opportunity. He picked up his plate and began chewing on the cold pork, he had a feeling he was going to need his strength for tomorrow. Casting his eyes up, he watched the clouds off to the distance as the gently blew west. They seemed to be gathering, thickening, and darkening.

It looked like it was going to rain.

* * * * *

"Looks like it's getting heavier." came a woman's voice, as the rain scattered down onto the grey village below. Tall and imposing buildings filled all fields of vision, each one casting its shadows into the depths below.

"Mm." came a man's vague reply. The only light close to them was that of the flickering flames in the room behind, but that was easily discounted by the many blazing lights of the bulbs below. All sorts of colours filled the lower half of the village, an eyesore that was the lesser of evils when compared to the monotonous world above, "Yeah."

"Are you cold?" the woman asked, looking over her shoulder. Through the blue curtain hanging over her eyes, two amber lights glistened to the person sitting behind her.

"Mm-nm." the man replied, shaking his head lightly. He then leant forward just a little, resting his forehead on the back of hers. His long, red hair mingled with hers, creating a mix that didn't quite blend, but sat together well, "I'm warm."

"You sure?" the woman asked again, placing her hands on the sleeves of his black cloak. His arms were draped over her shoulders, his hands resting on her collar as he tightened his hold just a touch, "We can go inside if you like."

"There's no need to fuss over me." the man replied, closing his grey, rippling eye as his breathing shallowed, "I'm perfectly content here."

"…Ok." the woman said, in a quieter voice. She looked ahead again, shivering slightly from the feeling of his breath on her neck. It was warm, and thankfully regular. Try though she might, she found it hard not to worry a little. She often remembered how his health used to be, and was usually concerned that it might go back to the way it was.

Lightly reaching up, he touched the stud just below her lip. It was an absent minded gesture, but one he made a habit of doing every now and again. She didn't mind it, since at times like these; she barely noticed it to begin with.

"There're some things I have to take care of." she said, lightly lifting his arms off her. He didn't resist, but he followed her as she got to her feet and climbed in through the alcove out of the cold. She glanced back at him as she opened the door, giving him a smile before disappearing completely.

He listened closely to the sound of her fading footsteps, until eventually they were gone altogether. Even afterwards he remained silent, barely his breath made audible as the orange light flickered against his pale, slightly gaunt face.

"I hope we didn't disturb you." came a voice from just behind him, "**You called for us, Leader-sama?**"

"Yes." leader replied, without looking back. He took a few moments as he considered his words, before letting them out with equal thought, "Have you given thought to my proposition?"

"We didn't really need to think about it." the person behind him said, "**We're ready to go when you give the order.**"

"I see…" the man muttered, raising his hand to his chest. He felt the round, solid object placed over his heart. His expression told of deep, intense concentration, "Not yet. But soon. Be ready."

"**Of course.**"

"And don't forget," the man said, looking back to the person he was speaking to, "I want you to record _all _of it."

* * * * *

It was even later, much later than before. The flames were steadily dying down, but were maintained as necessary. The carcass of the pig had long since been discarded, far away to keep wild animals from getting close to camp. Kisame, Yagura and Utakata had each retired for the night, once again leaving only Naruto and Gaara as the waking ones. They stood aside from the group, so they could talk without disturbing the others.

"So what happened between you and this Zabuza person?" Gaara asked, from his position against a tree. He looked at Naruto with folded arms, his eyes half closed as he indulged in some curiosity.

"A long time ago, I was in the bingo book." Naruto replied. He stood a little away from Gaara, his hands supporting his head as he looked up at the stars, "He thought I was an easy target, so he and his little sidekick came to take me back to Konoha."

"They failed?"

"Nah, the sidekick dropped me in no time." Naruto said, in a casual tone. Gaara gave a look that said he wasn't all that surprised, but didn't comment, "It kinda bothered me how easily I got taken down, so I guess this is sort of a grudge match, y'know?"

Gaara gave a small nod of agreement, even if Naruto couldn't see it. There were some that he wished to take care of himself, so in this situation he could relate with that feeling.

"Utakata-san certainly wants him dead, Yagura-san too maybe." he said, in a mildly suggestive tone, "If you succeed, they may feel indebted to you."

"Heh, yeah." Naruto smirked, turning so he could see the distant camp, "I feel for them and all, but the situation is pretty advantageous, huh?"

"Only if you succeed." Gaara pointed out, bringing the mood down in his way. Naruto cast a glance at him, before looking up to the sky again. He didn't have any particular doubts himself, according to Kisame the training he received was much the same as what Zabuza went through, even if not to such a level. That and Eko ought to be enough for him to keep aware of the fake swordsman of the mist.

"Heh heh heh." Naruto chuckled to himself, as he pictured the look on Zabuza's face when he would find out the truth about Eko. Apparently his disinterest in the blade had to do with the fact that a plain katana was in no way intimidating, _"I wonder what he'll think now?"_

A sharp breeze cut through the air, running inside and around Naruto's haori like a snake slithering across his skin. He didn't pay it much mind, though he intended to head back to the fire soon. At the moment, the cold simply reminded him of something else.

Haku. That person he had been quick to trust, as the idiot he was. He didn't exactly blame Haku for taking advantage of his stupidity, as he was Naruto would have done the same in a reverse situation. No, he had no quarrel with him. However, as the person who defeated him, he almost felt duty bound to return the favour. It was part of a swordsman's honour, as Kisame had told him. Ninja arts aside, if there is an opponent you believe you could never beat, then as a swordsman it was your duty to end your own life. Because to accept yourself at the level you are, would be the same as accepting your life as reaching its highest level. The only thing left for you is death.

He remembered when Kisame taught him that rule, it had been pretty funny to him, since it emulated what Gaara had been saying for a while. He hadn't liked it, but once more it looked like Gaara was better than him. Looking over at the red haired man absent mindedly watching the trees, Naruto couldn't help but feel that he attained the level he was on because of his desire to surpass this person.

"Hey Gaara, why don't you get some rest?" he suggested, lowering his arms. He knew that while Gaara didn't sleep, his body still required some respite from time to time. It was a point Kisame had failed to notice when he had given Gaara the role of keeping an eye out for trouble through the nights.

Gaara looked at him; he had long since accepted Naruto's knowledge of this fact, "All right."

He turned away and headed back to camp. Naruto watched as he sat down by the fire, knowing that soon his eyes would close, and he would meditate through the night as he learned to do. Naruto couldn't help but smile, he still felt strange that Gaara accepted his gestures like that, even though there had been a time when he wouldn't even consider it.

* * * * *

Naruto and Gaara fell to the ground, both severely exhausted from the intense training Kisame had thrusted on them. Though they had only just recovered, their sensei had resolved not to hold back in the least and so put full efforts into improving them.

"I'll admit that I never expected you to win against those two." Kisame said, looking down at the two of them with an unsmiling face, "But to get _that_ beat up is an embarrassment."

Neither Naruto nor Gaara were able to form a response, they had a hard enough time pulling air in and out of their lungs. Their faces were planted in the grass, their chests heaving with each massive breath. Kisame noticed all of this and decided to let up. Further provocation would most likely result in his two students overexerting themselves, which would help in no way whatsoever. He let out a sigh, before turning around and wandering off.

"Take five to catch your breath." he said, leaving them on their own.

Naruto and Gaara were both relieved by this brief lapse of strain, even if a certain someone was unwilling to show it. Naruto lightly reached out with his hand, petting Kunimei who had come to check on him. The other pups had also gathered round, watching their tired master curiously. None of them had witnessed his recent fight with Neji, and so were confused by his sudden change in attitude.

Naruto thought back to the fight, and his surprise at encountering those two there like he did. But the surprise was more leant towards Sasuke, one of the last people he ever expected to betray Konoha.

"Can't believe I ever looked up to that Sasuke guy." he muttered, rolling himself over onto his back. He watched the clouds with a troubled expression, thinking back to a long time ago, "I thought that maybe we were alike, and so I sorta wanted to be like him."

"… I already told you." Gaara replied, with his back to Naruto, "No two people are alike. No matter what you think, you can't hope to ever fully understand another person."

Naruto didn't really react to this, he had expected as much of a response. But that didn't change the fact that it bothered him, he didn't want to believe in such a philosophy.

"I've been thinking about that." he said, resting his head on one of his hands, "It doesn't matter that we're not the same, because even if we're different dunes, we're in the same desert, aren't we?"

He listened out for an answer, knowing that Gaara had probably thought of this. But it came to his surprise when none was offered, and Gaara remained strangely silent. Rolling over again, he looked at the mop of red hair with a raised brow, wondering if he was finally chipping away at the armour of sand Gaara had covered himself in.

"Even if we're different, our situation is the same, and the destination is too." he said, trying his best to picture Gaara's expression on the other side, "So don't you think maybe that's enough? That because of that we could understand each other… even if it's only a little?"

He waited longingly for a response, hoping he wasn't making a fool out of himself once again. His brow rose a little more as Gaara's head shifted slightly. But the boy seemed to have nothing to say, the inclination dropped and he remained silent. Feeling disappointed, Naruto did the same. It didn't look like Gaara had an answer after all.

"_Then again…" _he thought, as he felt one of the pups sniffing at his ear, _"If he doesn't have an answer… maybe it's better that way."_


	7. The shroud of mist, the silent killer

Glad I managed to get this out without breaking my 3 day max rule. I caught a bug and was pretty blank for a while, which is why this is a day later than usual. Ah well, it couldn't be helped. Besides, I doubt a single on of you though I'd abandoned from that, so I'll not make a big deal of it. Damn, now I gotta work out what to do next. Is it time for a return to Ame, or should I have a couple more training missions first I wonder?

Disclaimer: Out of strange curiosity, I wonder if there are any Gato fangirls/boys/hermaphrodites out there?

* * *

**The shroud of mist, the silent killer**

A damp smell filled the air as mossy ground and mossy tree filled every corner of vision. The squelches caused by each of Kisame's footsteps was disgusting, yet for the most part ignored. The silent forest bid welcome to its new visitor, the lonely atmosphere broken by his presence. He glanced up at the peculiar structure ahead of him, a site that baffled the eyes and would put most diligent architects into angered mutterings of nonsense and impossibilities.

This building, what could at best be described as a lavish tree house, stood with only a tree offering any sort of base support, even though it was far from centres to the structure. In fact, what seemed to be holding the domicile was by no means appropriate, they were in fact several thick cables connecting the building to the earth and surrounding trees.

The structure itself was of outlandish design too, bearing a striking resemblance to the roof of a hut, its conical shape strangely suited to the comparison considering its suspension. Walkways connected from several openings to the building, leading off to who knows where? At the base of the absurd abode, there was another walkway spiralling down to the ground. It was that walkway which Kisame stepped on, taking a slow rise as he made his way into the lair of Momochi Zabuza.

"_Not bad."_ he thought, as he began a steady climb. It looked like Zabuza had made himself a pretty comfortable den up here, something one didn't really expect of a missing-nin. It was enough to make him wonder if Zabuza really had abandoned this place, since few would want to really.

A small smirk appeared on his face, it looked like the others were doing a good job. Had he not known they would be where they were, he would most likely have missed them. Of course, that was mostly in part to Samehada. The giant blade had been practically giddy when Utakata and Yagura joined up; their chakra had nearly made the blade cry out in excitement.

"Report?" Kisame called, pressing his fingers to his earpiece. He listened to the static that came with the oncoming reply.

"_First floor, it looks like a meeting room."_ Gaara's voice said, the walls in between causing his gravelly voice to hiss slightly.

"_Second floor, supply store." _came Yagura's response, _"Food, weapons, money, there's a lot of stuff here."_

"_Fourth floor, bedroom." _Naruto said, before he suddenly exclaimed, _"Wait a minute, WHY'S THERE ONLY ONE BED HERE?!"_

"Naruto, quit breaking order!" Kisame barked, his brow creasing in annoyance. He looked up as he drew nearer to the building, it was all shadows up there, "Utakata-san, how's it going?"

"_Third floor, seems like the underling's quarters." _Utakata replied.

"_Oh… forget what I said."_ Naruto muttered, embarrassment evident in his voice. Kisame sighed again, lowering his hand from the transceiver. Though Naruto had become an intermediate in some advanced forms of the ninja arts, and even a master in some, he still seemed to have trouble grasping the more basic aspects. Like not making a lot of noise when in enemy territory.

Inside the building, on the first floor, Gaara cautiously searched each of the rooms for anything suspicious. At the moment, he stood in a broad room with little furniture other than a sofa placed in the middle of the room facing the door, and what looked strangely like a bar along the wall opposite the window. From what he could see, this place was hardly ambiguous. However, he made his way to the door by the bar, deciding to inspect further.

He stepped into a room which appeared to be where the information was kept. Files were laid out neatly in wooden drawers, while some were strewn across the table in the middle of the room. Gaara stepped over to the table, and began studying the files with blank interest. After a few quiet moments, he raised his fingers to his ears to report.

Using his staff to prise open one of the sealed crates, Yagura searched the contents of the unmarked box with a creased brow. It seemed Momochi Zabuza had prepared for just about every situation. This crate was filled literally to the top with explosive notes, each formed into high and perfectly stacked piles. That had made for the third such crate he had encountered, others containing kunai, shuriken and senbon.

"Geez, is this guy going to war?" he muttered, once more slipping the lid back into place. He cast his eyes around, everything was in place, in top condition and most importantly, fully stocked. It didn't take genius to work out that even if this place wasn't in use, it was far from abandoned. He turned back and made his way to the door, intending to search the other rooms.

Utakata glanced down at the floor as he heard another bang. It seemed like Yagura was searching the stores down there, and making quite a bit of noise in the process. That hardly seemed a problem though, considering that Naruto had already made enough noise that if there was someone here, they would already be on alert. Fortunately, Utakata could detect no one in proximity to him. However, considering the person they searched for that could be far from fortunate.

He turned around on the spot, letting his eyes flit around the bedroom of one of the inhabitants. He was certainly surprised; he hadn't been expecting to see so many plants in the area. But further study confirmed that each of those plants were used in poisons and antidotes respectively, so he doubted they were just to make the room seem more attractive.

"_Looks like he's got someone who's good with their chemistry here."_ he thought, lightly touching a bright yellow flower. He then cast his eyes over to the single bed in the middle of the wall to his right; it had been made so that there was scarcely a crease in it. Looking around, the rest of the room was in similar condition too, _"I know missing-nin try to make it look like they were never there, but this is just plain obsessive compulsion."_

He stepped over to the window, looking outside to the light from the forest. This room was in immaculate condition, there wasn't even any dust lying around. He placed his hands on the sill, letting out a sigh. But then his eyes dropped down to the wooden surface, and to the earth settled between his fingers. It was still damp, but then in this humid environment that didn't really stand for much. However, the moss caught in it certainly didn't belong to any of the plants.

"_Oh well…" _he thought, casually raising his bubble blower to his lips, _"Looks like someone was in a hurry to leave."_

Up above, Naruto rested his back against the wall of what seemed to be Zabuza's bedroom. He had his arms crossed and wore an annoyed look, his fingers fidgeting uncontrollably as he looked his target's room.

It was rather unassuming, though the king size bed off to the right certainly seemed lavish for a ninja. Then again, considering his bed was usually the forest floor, a bunk would seem lavish to Naruto. Nonetheless, the place looked luxurious enough that he almost doubted a missing-nin lived here. Though he had been anxious before, now that he was here he could see Kisame's point. Missing-nins that settled usually had a hard time.

He straightened up, stepping towards the bed with his arms still folded. He glared down at the large surface, it looked undeservingly comfortable. He glanced around once more, aside from a couple of bedside cabinets and a chest of drawers there really wasn't all that much here. He then dropped his eyes to the mattress again, his hands dropping to his sides.

"If this guy isn't here, I'm _so_ taking a leak on this thing." he announced, making an oath to himself that his body was already preparing for. He sighed, he knew doing such a thing wouldn't make him feel any better, but at least it could-

"_BEHIND YOU!"_

But Eko's warning came too late. Before Naruto could so much as see the threat, it had already met him. His head now rested in the round circle of a massive blade, a zanbato if he remembered correctly. He looked on ahead into the eyes of the person holding the giant sword, recognising that face only from the vaguest recall. The brown spiky hair, the off centre Kiri forehead protector, the tan skin and the gauze wrapped around the lower half of his face. He hadn't forgotten, not even the small, demented eyes with the shrunken pupils escaped his recall.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" murmured Momochi Zabuza, the coverings on his face failing to hide his anger, "Why is it after all this time you're still in my Bingo Book?"

"Guess I'm just the guy everyone wants to meet." Naruto replied, with a cocky smirk. Then, with one fluid movement, he dropped down to a crossed legged position, throwing his left hand up to Zabuza while his other reached for Eko. The wind blasted from his palm and pummelled Zabuza's stomach, sending him flying back to the other side of the room. But he managed to regain control before impact, pressing his hand against the wall to keep himself from hitting it. He watched as Naruto raised his blade over his head and lowered it to the floor. He could clearly see what that stance meant, and was intrigued to no end.

"Nice sword." he said, straightening up. He lifted his own into the air and rested it on his shoulder, studying Naruto's with faint appraisal, "You got rid of that worthless blade then?"

Naruto's arm twitched slightly as Eko flew into a sudden rage. The blade tried to take control like he used to, but Naruto suppressed that action and kept Eko in place. He watched Zabuza with a spreading grin, to the missing-nin's annoyance.

"Bet you regret not taking him now huh?" Naruto asked, copying Zabuza's pose by resting Eko lightly on his shoulder. Granted with Eko being a double edged blade it didn't look that realistic, but the motion was enough to prove his point; Eko was bigger than Zabuza's blade, "All you got is that oversized butter-knife."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he leered at Naruto, before looking at the blade again. Naruto could see that he detested the condescending tone he was being spoken to with, and also with Eko being the way he was. He swing his giant knife so the blade was back on the ground, giving Naruto a hateful look which frankly, Naruto felt was a little uncalled for.

"So that's the same blade then?" Zabuza asked, his brow twitching in contempt. He changed his grip on the lengthy hilt of his knife, and Naruto already knew the attack he was going to make, "Looks like that bastard pulled one over on me. Well that's fine. I can take you down and take that blade for myself!"

With that he disappeared, flickering away into nothingness. Naruto was momentarily stunned by the great feat of speed displayed, but regained his sense quick enough to defend against the oncoming attack. He whipped around and raised Eko, sparks flying as Zabuza appeared standing on his bed with his knife bearing down on the blond.

"Come on man, what kinda swordsman jumps his opponent like that?" Naruto asked, more in a goading manner than actual distaste. He released a hand from Eko's hilt and slid his arm out of his sleeve, "You could at least give me time to get this off, it damn near killed me to get it y'know?"

He watched Zabuza closely, scanning his body in the instant he had to do so. The straps he wore to holster his blade on his back made Naruto smile, it practically screamed out that the knife wasn't one of the seven swords. Beneath the straps he wore a black muscle shirt, and striped pastille blue protectors on his forearms. He also wore black trousers; his dress was completely different from how Naruto remembered. Fortunately, from what he could see Naruto and Zabuza had something in common; they didn't like using other weapons in one on one fights.

Zabuza leapt back from Naruto, raising his weapon defensively as the boy followed him, slipping his other arm out of its sleeve and discarding the haori onto the bed. He then slashed down, his weapon recoiling from the impact as he continued with a sideward cut. Zabuza dodged it, but a section of the wall was scarred badly by the attack.

"_Damn it, let's slice this bastard in half!"_

Naruto chuckled right before he disappeared into thin air. Zabuza did the same, and sparks began flying all over the place as the sound of blades clashing rang out. Naruto was fairly certain even Kisame knew the situation now, and wondered what was going to happen.

Suddenly, Naruto's hand whipped up as something whistled through the air. He grabbed the thin projectiles, not needing to look to know that they were senbon. He smirked as he sensed the presence to his left, bending the senbon with his strong grip.

"How's it going Haku-chan?" he asked, keeping his attention on Zabuza, who remained still as he watched the interaction between his opponent and his back up.

In the doorway, like a giant porcelain doll, Haku stood. Dressed in almost exactly the same clothes as the ANBU of Kiri, Naruto came to understand a little something about these two. Aside from the baggy shorts, the only defining feature of Haku was his mask with the fire like design.

"Zabuza-san, shall I take over?" Haku asked, disregarding Naruto's words as he glanced to the older Shinobi.

"No, I'll deal with this guy myself." Zabuza replied, his eyes fixed on Naruto. Haku nodded in understanding, before his attention was suddenly drawn to the window.

"Look out!" he exclaimed, whipping a pair of senbon to the open frame. A large bubble had floated in, filled with a thick purple fog. The senbon pierced the bubble and popped it, spreading its contents through the air. Naruto grinned, recognising his chance. He dashed past Zabuza and through the cloud of smoke, leaping outside and onto the walkway below. He then turned on the spot, watching the opening as he waited with anxious excitement. Moments later, Zabuza leapt out too, trailing smoke behind him as he descended. He landed opposite Naruto, holding his blade at the ready as he faced the boy with narrow eyes.

"At least there's more room to breath out here." Naruto commented with a cheeky grin.

"Don't get used to it!" Zabuza growled, before charging forward.

He swung out a horizontal slash, throwing his whole body into a spin in the process. Naruto easily stepped out of the attack's range before rushing in and bringing Eko down upon Zabuza. But the attack was blocked as the bounty hunter made another spin and raised his arm, defending with the tip of his blade facing the ground. Eko bounced off the other sword as they clashed, and Naruto leapt back to avoid a counter.

Zabuza ran at Naruto, slashing in a furious flurry that drove the boy back step by step. With scarcely room to defend, Naruto was forced to continuously back off along the long bridge, until he finally found an opening to counter. But just as he made his attack, Zabuza struck the bridge with his sword and forced it to snap, sending the two of them plummeting down below.

Naruto landed into the soft earth, the foot of one leg and shin of the other sinking in a couple inches. He whipped his head up to Zabuza, who had landed perfectly on a small pond of water. His sword was replaced on his back and both of his hands were held in single seals, one above his head and the other to his face. Naruto tensed, watching Zabuza with a creased brow, _"A Jutsu?"_

Zabuza stood firm in his position, not moving an inch as a slow mist began to gather around him. Naruto ground his teeth, he was already aware of what was going on. Kirigakure no Jutsu, that's what Kisame had called it.

"_Well hell if I'm letting him get the advantage!" _he thought, sticking Eko into the ground. He then raised his hands into a seal, deciding to use a technique of his own, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The mist was too thick to see how many copies were created, but by the sounds of splashing water it seemed like it very well could be many. Zabuza then responded in kind by forming another seal, this time the tiger. The result was the water around him reacting irregularly, rising in piles and forming shapes oddly resembling his own. Then they actually took on his shape, and even his colour as they became near exact copies of him. Seven Zabuzas surrounding the original, each wielding a massive blade of their own. Then at once they all disappeared, vanishing into the mist.

Far aside, Kisame watched the fight from his seated position near the top of the walkway he'd been ascending. He rested his jaw on his hand as he grinned towards the thick cloud, wondering just how his student was doing. Of course, his other one was much easier to tell, he could still hear the sound of rushing sand easily from his place. He gave a small glance up as Utakata and Yagura walked down to join him, both with fairly blank expressions.

"Those guys with the chains weren't much." Yagura commented, as he and Utakata sat down near Kisame. Both of them immediately recognised what was happening down there, and understood all but one point, "So is that Naruto san or Zabuza's Jutsu?"

"Naruto doesn't know how to use Suiton." Kisame replied, returning his eyes to the match. He cocked a brow as the mist tore apart in places; the sound of wind blasting around suggested the reason, "Though I _have_ been toying with the idea of teaching it to him."

"Hm…" Yagura grunted, raising his hand to his chin as he watched the fight. There wasn't too much to see, and the only things heard were blades clashing, wind blowing and water splashing. Despite this, a slow smirk spread across Yagura's lips, a feat not usually used by the generally stoic boy.

"Don't leave us in the dark here." Utakata said, nudging his friend in the arm, "What's going on?"

"You can see in there?" Kisame asked, giving Yagura a look of interest.

"Yeah, thanks to a little help from the Sanbi." Yagura replied, leaning forward to study the fight closer, "But I don't think telling you will be necessary."

His point was proven as moments later, the water in the pond erupted into the sky. However, instead of dropping back down it formed into a long, serpentine beast, like a dragon made of water.

"That moron let him use the Suiryudan?" Kisame muttered, with a slight look of incredulity on his face. Of course, his worry was not in Naruto's allowing Zabuza to use such a high level Jutsu, but that he had actually given his opponent the time to use _that_ Jutsu of all things. However, the problem was soon rectified as a pillar if wind fired out of the mist and smashed into the water dragon, shattering it instantly, "Fortunately Naruto's quicker with his counterattacks."

"Hmph." Yagura sneered, with clear doubt in his tone. From his perspective Naruto was firing blind against an enemy that was barely taking him seriously, _"And this guy has the Kyubi?"_

Back down on the surface, Naruto whipped his head around for the faintest signs of shadows. But Zabuza seemed particularly skilled with this Jutsu, just as Kisame had said. Fortunately however he also told Naruto other aspects of the Jutsu, most importantly the key ways to overcome it.

"_Too easy." _he thought, covering Zabuza's tracks from beneath the surface of the water. From here it was a simple task of watching the feet standing atop the pond. He watched as his Kage Bunshin took on Zabuza's copies with surprising ease, apparently his Bunshin were of a weaker variant. In any case, it didn't take him too long to locate the original, the only one who was making no effort to move in the slightest. Naruto grinned, gripping Eko tight. Then, with a burst of chakra, he sharply rose to the surface to-

"And cue Suiro no Jutsu." Yagura muttered, with a self-satisfied sigh.

"_What the?!" _Naruto thought, whipping his head around in shock. The target whom he'd thought to be Zabuza had in fact turned out to be yet another copy, one intended to trick him into this situation. He now stood trapped in a sphere of water, the real Zabuza behind him with his hand pressed against the surface.

"What a worthless excuse for a Shinobi." the bounty hunter commented, looking down at Naruto with disgust. He then took his blade and struck Eko hard, forcing it out of the sphere and into the pond. One of the water clones then took the blade and tossed it to Zabuza, who replaced it with his own one in his grip. Raising it in the air, he viewed the great sword with interest, "Not bad, not bad at all."

Naruto glared up at Zabuza, giving the look of someone feeling as much hate for their opponent as they did themselves at that time. Zabuza smirked at this, returning his attention to the boy who was slowly realising his fading breath.

"Looks like Kisame just wanted to give this blade an owner." he said, with almost compassionate understanding, "Well, since he first intended me to have it, I guess it's no big deal if I take it now. You're hardly worthy in any case."

"_Damn it Eko, hurry it up will ya?!" _Naruto thought, looking up at the blade bewilderedly. But he heard nothing back from Eko; it was like the sword couldn't hear him. Was it because of the Jutsu he was stuck in, interfering with the signals? Or was it that he was in someone else's hands now? Either way was problematic, _"Damn it you bastard, don't forget about me!"_

"_Will you shut up, I'm tryna concentrate!"_

"Huh?!" Zabuza exclaimed, looking to the blade in shock. Eko then let out a long, drawn out sigh as Naruto mentally face palmed himself.

"_Oh well."_

Suddenly a grotesque sound filled the air as Futon chakra burst from Eko's hilt, slicing Zabuza's hand to pieces, "HRAH!"

Zabuza groaned in pain, and was forced to drop the blade back onto the water. But he did his best to keep the Jutsu Naruto was trapped in in effect, and just barely succeeded. Breathing heavily, and sweating just as much, he looked up at Naruto with narrow eyes, a hateful look on his face. The only sounds came from his lungs, and the coursing water of Naruto's prison.

"Nice try brat." he exhaled, locking eyes with the boy, "But no luck."

Those were his thoughts, right until he caught the flicker in Naruto's eyes. Whipping his head back, he saw three other Naruto's falling through the air, throwing their hands down towards Zabuza. Wind burst from their palms and struck his back hard, forcing him straight into his own Jutsu. The action caused him to break the technique and in an instant Naruto was back on his feet. Zabuza stood slumped against Naruto's shoulder, his eyes wide with shock as he felt Naruto's palm on top of his heart, and more specifically, the chakra already gathered there.

"Sorry about this." Naruto muttered, speaking into Zabuza's ear, "But I kinda have to look good right now."

"You-Grah!" Zabuza cried out, his eyes snapping as far open as they could. He stood steady for several long moments, blood staining the gauze around his mouth as his eyes rolled back into his skull. Then he slumped onto Naruto, who grabbed him before he could fall into the depths. As one of the clones grabbed the real Eko, he and the remaining Kage Bunshin dragged Zabuza onto firm ground as the mist slowly dissipated. They then laid him down, and once Eko was returned to Naruto's back, the Kage Bunshin disappeared. Naruto continued to look down at Zabuza's body while the mist was still thick, before turning away. He left the former member of the seven swordsmen of the hidden mist to lie in peace, considering it a last mercy.

"Not bad." Kisame said, dropping down and landing not too far away. He looked over to Zabuza' body with a nostalgic look, but one that showed no sadness. Naruto looked past his sensei to set his eyes on the two behind him. Utakata too had his eyes fixed on Zabuza, though his expression didn't really reveal anything. Yagura on the other hand gave one glance to Naruto before immediately averting his gaze; something the blond found strange, "Anyway, we're just waiting up for Gaara now."

"_It's fine, he's here."_

Kisame and Naruto both glanced up, spotting Gaara descending on a platform of sand. In moments he rejoined the group, looking as though he'd simply gone for a walk. He handed Naruto his haori, earning a thanks from the blond who threw it on.

"It's done." he said, with a bored expression. He gave Naruto a quick look, before turning his eyes to Kisame, "Now what?"

"Hmm…" Kisame murmured, looking from the building, to Zabuza's body, to somewhere deep in the forest. He scratched his head, before looking to the shorter Shinobi questioningly, "Who's hungry?"

Naruto resisted a sigh as Kisame, Yagura and Utakata began to suddenly move on. Though it had hardly seemed like a big deal to them, he had just defeated someone who was once ranked amongst Kiri's strongest. If nothing else, he felt at least entitled to a breather. But he persevered, and instead just walked alongside Gaara after the others.

"So did you do it?" Gaara asked, watching the three ex-Kiri-nin in front of them. Naruto looked at his partner with a raised brow, unsure quite of what he meant. But then it came to him, and he turned his gaze ahead again.

"Yeah…"


	8. Yoinokuchi

Well, the worst of the bug is gone, but it's left me with some fatigue so I'm tiring out at 7pm. It makes things a little difficult, but it's no big deal. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's cut shorter than I'd like, but I didn't wanna put more in and it met the minimum limit anyway. I think it's been a while since I put anything of interest in here, so I'll say that I've been working with some people who've got promising ideas, and who probably won't disappear like DemonKingSamael did. Sorry to anyone who read his fic, but it looks like he's abandoned it. To anyone who needs some help with a character or plot, drop me a message and i'll see if I can help you out.

Disclaimer: Anyone else suddenly enjoying the manga a whole lot more now? It's, as I believe a certain Bill S. Preston and Theodore Logan would say "EXCELLENT! _Dananawow!"_

* * *

**Yoinokuchi**

"Nagato?" called the blue haired woman, peeking into the small empty room that was usually inhabited by the person she sought. At first she thought there was no one there, the stone floor and walls suggested as much. But outside, just past the alcove shaped within the face of an ugly daimyo, someone responded to her call. The red haired man she had been with before peered in, his brow raised in surprise.

"Konan." he replied, stepping in. He kept his eyes on the woman now named Konan, seeing something which gave him the slightest of frowns, "What is it?"

"I just received a report from Zetsu." Konan said, closing the door behind her, "Apparently Kakuzu wishes to be separated from Hidan. It wasn't so much a formal request though."

Nagato sighed loudly, he had already grown tired of the squabbles those two caused. Worse than that, they seemed to do more harm than good. It was hardly a bright side that there were never any survivors to tell of what those two had been up to, "What happened?"

"They took on a mission to assassinate the heir to the Daimyo of Kiba no Kuni." Konan explained, leaning against the wall by the door as she recalled Zetsu's words, "Though they succeeded, they also managed to take out most of the palace guard, most of the palace, and also the Daimyo's brother, who happened to be their employer."

"They killed their employer?" Nagato repeated, raising his arm to his head as he groaned in exasperation, "And they took on a mission involving governmental issues. Those two are a pain."

"Kakuzu managed to coerce their employer's wife into paying anyway, and the Daimyo was meeting with the Daimyo of Tsume no Kuni at the time, so the situation was kept fairly low key for them." Konan added, hoping this would ease things up even if only a little. Nagato's arm fell back to his side; he seemed to relax a little but his mood in no way lightened.

"If they're bringing money in and avoiding international crisis then it isn't too bad." he muttered, looking outside to the clear sky. He placed his hand on the alcove and looked out again, viewing the many tall buildings of Amegakure in a wistful manner. Konan watched him for a moment, her eyes flitting up and down slightly as she thought something to herself. She then straightened up, walking towards him quietly.

"Sasori accepted a mission, he and Deidara are on their way to Yuki no Kuni." she said, coming to a stop beside Nagato. The red haired man looked at her with a surprised expression.

"You're not serious?" he asked, causing Konan to smile, "Deidara fell for it _again?!_"

Konan started laughing, resulting in Nagato doing the same. He leant on the wall while she leant on him, both quite amused by the cunning of their fellow Akatsuki member. Though it had been a long time, neither had expected that Deidara would willingly return to a place he couldn't use his so called "art". Now they were left to wonder just how Sasori had succeeded in this task.

It took them several moments to calm back down, and when they did both were still smiling at the thought. They looked outside to the village, but neither was really paying attention to the scene. It was commonplace for them to lose their concentration here, even as the place they used to meet other Akatsuki members.

"Looks like they're here." Nagato muttered, straightening up and turning away. Konan straightened up too, looking at him in confusion as he stepped past her. As far as she knew they weren't expecting anybody. Then again, this wouldn't be the first time Nagato thought he'd mentioned something to her when he hadn't.

"Who's here?" she asked, following him. He looked over his shoulder, with an expression that told Konan she was right, Nagato had indeed thought he'd informed her.

"Kisame's bringing them here." he said, searching her face with a raised brow. From the look Konan gave him in return, he realised he hadn't told her a thing. He turned back to face her properly, deciding it was best to get it over with then, "Naruto and Gaara are finishing their training with Kisame to take on some missions of their own."

"Are they ready for that?" Konan asked with an expression of disbelief.

"Kisame certainly thinks so." Nagato replied, with a nod. He crossed his arms, his expression falling as he reached that which he didn't really want to mention, "They're already here so… well…"

Konan's lips parted and her eyes widened as she realised what he was going to say. He was about to do something that he hadn't done in nearly half a year, something that she had almost convinced him to leave as a last resort. The mere fact that he had been about to do that very thing so casually shook her, made her feel upset and troubled. Nagato saw this and lowered his eyes. Though he didn't want to leave her like that, this was one thing he couldn't let himself be deterred by.

"You are the only one who I'll allow to see this face." he said, as he turned and opened the door. He cast one more look at Konan, but she remained silent. With a discontented sigh, he left for that which she had worked so hard to rid him of.

* * * * *

Naruto stood at the end of the long, metal bridge leading into the village of Amegakure. It had been a long time since he saw the towering buildings of that metal metropolis, his few memories of that place told him almost nothing of any beauty or hope those grey granite streets held within. Up ahead, Kisame and the others were already making their way over, with only Gaara casting his eyes back to look at his partner.

Shinmaru took a few steps forward, nuzzling Naruto's face as he sensed his master's glum attitude. Daisuke did the same on Naruto's other side, the blond raised his arms and pet the two dogs' faces with a small smile. But then Akira stepped in and nudged Naruto in the back, forcing the boy to stumble forward. He laughed; Akira was the impatient one after all.

"All right you guys, stay out of sight will ya?" he said, as he began to move forward. The dogs all barked on agreement before taking off, running across the surface of the expanse of water surrounding Ame. Naruto watched as they passed Kisame and the others in seconds, and took off onto the wall surrounding the village before disappearing over the other side. He shook his head, but then he too ran across the bridge, heading to catch up with the group. He slowed down when he reached Gaara, who glanced at him with a raised brow.

"I take it you're not glad to be back then." he said, as his arms folded together and he looked up to the village before them. The clouds were as grey as they remembered, but some sunlight broke through. The chill in the air wasn't favourable either, travelling through the Land of Fire had got them used to the warmth that came with it, "This isn't exactly a place for fond memories."

"Heh, you said it." Naruto agreed, grabbing his head as he let out a small laugh. He saw the iron gate up ahead, remembering the time he'd walked through it to leave. In a way, he wished he could go back to that moment, rather than this one, "I don't really know why, but I kinda don't wanna be here."

"This is the place where you were at your lowest; it's natural that you would feel like you're regressing just by being here." Gaara replied, in a surprisingly wise tone, "People tend to associate places with events that have nothing to do with the place itself. It's stupid, but then so are people."

"What about you?" Naruto asked, with a sideward smirk as he slipped his hands behind his head, "You don't think you're changing too?"

"I didn't think I changed in the first place."

Naruto leant forward as he let out a quiet burst of laughter. One of the things that really got him about Gaara was how he said everything in a serious tone, and never considered others' opinions of him. That often led to him saying something unintentionally funny, though Naruto was one of the few to see it this way.

They reached the tall structure that stood in their way of entering the grim village of Ame, where they came to a stop. Kisame raised his fist and banged heavily on the door. In an instant several slots on the towers to either side opened up to reveal threatening looking crossbows wielded by several masked Shinobi. They all scanned the group with cold scrutiny, their wooden faces revealing nothing.

"State your name and business." stated another Shinobi, one who opened a thin slat in the iron gate. Kisame sighed as he raised his hand, showing the ring he wore to the guard impatiently. The guard focused closely on the ring, before nodding quickly, "Understood, please come in."

As quickly as they came, the guards disappeared and the slots closed. Moments later a loud creaking sound filled the air as the entrance split apart, slowly exposing the village within as the guards posted pulled it open. Kisame led the others inside, and was the only one not to wear a look of surprise. Even Naruto and Gaara were caught off guard by the sight before them.

Inside the streets were bustling as people made their way around. Chatter filled the air as conversation rang out, meshing together into incoherent babble. Many eyes flitted over to the newcomers, but they were soon forgotten as the group became blocked by the heads and bodies of others. It was strange, Naruto certainly remembered the villagers being busy, and hastily heading along as they were. But never, not in any of his memories did he recall them looking so _alive._

They joined in the vast crowd, wheedling their way through as they made their way towards their destination; the mortuary tower of Pein. It could already be seen from here, being the tallest building in the village of course it could be. Naruto could already make out the ugly faces adorned on it, the masks of disgruntled people and beasts each bearing the eyes of the one known as Pein.

"_Long time no see I guess."_ Naruto thought, letting out a quiet sigh. It seemed like their time training with Kisame was over, which probably meant he and his sensei would be parting ways.

"Hey Gaara-san."

Naruto and Gaara dropped their gaze To Yagura, who was looking to the red haired Shinobi questioningly. They both watched as the purple eyed boy pointed to one of the shops they were passing, specifically to what looked like a paper angel hanging from a string in the doorway, "There's been a few of those, any idea what they are?"

Gaara studied the angel closely, looking around to see others like it. They were hung in every shop, stall and restaurant in the street, like a fad that had swept through and caught everyone, "No, I can't say."

Naruto however, smiled at the angels. He had a very good idea what they meant, and he also now had an idea as to why the villagers seemed so much more content than he remembered.

"_Looks like he did it." _he thought, looking up at the tower once more. He could almost see that person, Pein, looking down upon them. But then he realised Gaara, Yagura and Utakata were all looking at him, and he grinned with a little embarrassment. He then looked at Gaara, deciding just to clue him in, "It's Konan."

Gaara's head rose as he same to understand, nodding lightly as he now recognised the connection. Of course, that left both Yagura and Utakata even more curious, but it was probably better that the explanations be left to the professionals. Realising they weren't going to learn anything, they turned their heads to the front again, neither trying to hide their slight annoyance.

* * * * *

It took them about ten minutes of walking to finally reach their destination. Kisame pushed open the window and climbed into the hallway of the second highest floor to the tower, with the others close behind. He didn't waste any time in heading towards the double doors, even as Naruto was still making his way in. He knocked just a couple of times, glancing over as Naruto slid the window shut. The blond looked over to his sensei, who seemed to have heard his reply. He opened the door and walked in, leaving it open as his group followed him.

"So you've arrived then, Kisame-san."

Naruto looked back once he'd closed the door, immediately recognising the person called Pein. He was a man with spiked orange hair, held in place with a slashed Ame forehead protector. He possessed the eyes that only now no longer creeped Naruto out, and many heavy black piercings on his face and ears. Like the woman standing not too far from him, Konan, and also like Kisame, he wore the large black cloak adorned with the red clouds that all Akatsuki members wore. He looked over the people on either side of Kisame, his blank expression telling nothing.

"So you believe their training is complete then?" he asked, his eyes hovering over Naruto and Gaara.

"I wouldn't say they're perfect Shinobi, but they can certainly be useful." Kisame replied, with a shrug. Pein looked at him as he spoke, giving a small nod in understanding, "Right now I think the best thing for them would be some real mission experience."

"Hm, I see." Pein said, turning away. He looked over to Konan, who met his eyes before stepping towards the door. She passed Yagura and said a quiet word to Kisame before the two of them disappeared into the hallway. Now all that was left was Pein and the four Jinchuriki behind him. The eldest Shinobi stepped out through the alcove and onto the long tongue, he almost seemed like he was leaving. But then he came to a stop and looked over his shoulder, fixing his eyes on the boys he already knew, "This may be a bit repetitive for you both, but bear with me while I explain to the other two."

Naruto and Gaara both nodded in understanding while Yagura and Utakata's attention increased. Pein took a moment to view the village outside, collecting his thoughts before he finally spoke.

"As you may or may not know, as of now you are all involved with the group known as Akatsuki." he said, speaking loud and very clearly as he looked up to the sky. From the looks on Yagura and Utakata's faces, they certainly didn't know much about their situation at all. Nonetheless, Pein continued, "At the moment our goal is to attain a high amount of money so to support our future goals. Though one of our primary objectives is to gather the Jinchuriki together, we in no way intended to do so this early."

Pein looked at Naruto for this last part, knowing full well that it was the blond that most likely instigated the circumstances they were currently in. Naruto responded with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head, he certainly hadn't thought of his actions as jumping the gun more than proving he was ready.

"We do this by capturing bounties and accepting missions that would not be brought to the attention of hidden villages." Pein continued, turning his gaze away again, "This is our primary objective; gain as much income as possible. We have already acquired an exorbitant sum, but we will by no means move on until we have attained as much as possible in the given time."

He turned his back on the village and faced the four boys, sure they had understood this much at least. He stepped back inside, the sunlight casting his face in shadow as it hit his back.

"Until the designated time has passed, the four of you shall be divided and placed with individual members of Akatsuki. You shall assist them on their missions, providing backup where necessary. Is this all agreeable?"

"One question." Yagura said, stepping forward. Pein nodded for him to continue, a gesture that the boy didn't really need, "What is our ultimate role in this plan of yours?"

Naruto gave Yagura a sideward look; he'd been naively hoping to skip by this point. Though he was confident Pein would avoid saying unnecessary things, he couldn't be sure of how agreeable Yagura would be with the answer. Pein however seemed to have no such worry, as he spoke without hesitation.

"Akatsuki's ideals go against those of the five nations." he answered, standing directly before Yagura and looking down at him. He could see Yagura's lack of concern at this point, and so pressed further, "Most likely in the future Kiri and the other countries will take action against us. However, they will know that we possess the greatest power on this planet, and they shall fear that. What you will do is use the fear they feel towards you, and give them a reason to feel it."

Naruto couldn't help but smile at this; it was the first time Pein's words had actually invigorated him instead of making him nervous and afraid. A part of him was actually looking forward to that end, it sounded like things could get really crazy.

"However that is still quite far away, all you need to focus on now are the missions you will be receiving." Pein continued, reaching into his cloak. He pulled out several small things, holding them out so that the others could see, "From now on, you shall all be known by this."

Naruto and the others regarded the pendants Pein held in his hand. Attached to lengths of black string where four medallions in the shape of grey moons. Each of them bore the same black swirls across the surface, they were all identical. Pein proceeded to hand out one of each of the boys in front of him, to which none were declined. Each of them regarded the pendants curiously, Gaara and Naruto being the first to look at Pein. Neither had forgotten the last gift he'd given them after all.

"They are nothing more than what they appear to be." he said, sensing their uncertainty, "They are merely symbols of who you are, illustrations of the organisation you represent. From now on, you four will be known as Yoinokuchi."

Naruto and Gaara, both of whom were still wavering, continued to study the pendants. Though they doubted that Pein was being dishonest, he hadn't been about the previous gift either, they had become naturally wary from their solitude. To that end, they were more than a little surprised when it was Yagura who was first to slip his pendant on. They, Pein and Utakata each looked at him; clearly no one had expected him to be the first one to accept such a thing.

"I already agreed to your terms." he said, with a blank expression, "I've got no problem with the dangers either."

Pein nodded in thanks, glad of the cooperation. Utakata then smiled, before doing the same as his friend did. Being the only ones left, Naruto and Gaara decided to go with the flow and put theirs on too; if the most suspicious natured person here would accept it, there was no sense in them worrying. None the less, Naruto asked a quick question to Eko once the pendant was in place.

"_Nah, I'm not picking anything up from it."_

"So now what?" Naruto asked, looking at Pein blankly. He felt a little antsy; the situation was unusual to say the least. Pein took a moment to look over the four boys, and specifically the pendants, before replying.

"By luck, there are two members of Akatsuki currently on standby and two who have just completed their mission." he said, as Konan stepped back in. She passed Naruto and muttered something in Pein's ear, before resuming her position against the wall, "Gaara-san, Yagura-san, you two shall rejoin Kisame-san and you will join him as he meets up with Itachi-san. Their mission is a complicated one, so you shall assist both of them in their task. As for you two, Naruto-san and Utakata-san, you shall meet up with two other members when they arrive. They shall take you to assist them on their individual missions. Understood?"

He was met with words of confirmation and nods, to which he gave his own nod of thanks. Just as he signalled them to leave, Konan stepped forward and looked to the faces that were familiar to her, "Could you show these two their rooms?"

"Sure." Naruto replied, waving as he and the others left the chamber. The other three boys followed him closely, and soon the door was closed once more. Once their footsteps had faded away, Pein looked at Konan.

"I'll have to continue to use this body while they're here." he said, noting the fact she had trouble looking at him, "If you aren't comfortable with that, I understand."

"No, it's fine." Konan replied, though her voice was small.

* * * * *

Naruto lay down on the stone slab concrete, slipping his hands behind his head as he looked up at the evening sky. There wasn't a soul nearby him; he was far from the skyscrapers in the centre of the village. Where he was was a more rural district, atop someone's roof to be precise.

All was fairly silent, with Eko left at a specialist to be cleaned Naruto felt alone for the first time in years. It was a strange sort of feeling, to be completely by oneself when that wasn't a normal situation. He was left kind of unnerved by it, yet at the same time the solitude was strangely relaxing. For one thing, though he had grown used to it, not having the weight on his back made him feel about a half tonne lighter.

He took in a deep breath, the ever damp air cool and refreshing. It wasn't as clean as out in the woods, nor was his place of resting as soft, but at the same time he couldn't help feeling relaxed, _"Man, been a long time since I had a moment like this."_

Ironically enough these thoughts were soon disturbed. Almost a moment after they were formed he heard the sound of a door sliding open, and some light padding as someone stepped out onto the balcony not far to his left. He listened to the light sigh of what seemed like a girl, it sounded like someone was either very content, or very bored. A faint mewing caused his brow to rise; he hadn't been expecting to here something like that. It forced him to wonder if maybe he'd made a mistake.

"Keiko?" the girl's voice called, with a faint tone of surprise. Naruto turned his head, noticing an adult tabby cat suddenly sitting not far from him. The cat looked at him with a cocked head, tail swishing as it mewed once more. Naruto suppressed a grin, trying not to imagine what would happen if Hotei were to turn up. But then he saw several small fingers appear not far from the cat, gripping the roof tight. It looked like the girl was going to investigate.

Sure enough, moments later a head popped up from below, one that was hidden behind long, lilac hair. All thoughts of uncertainty faded away, Naruto was certain he had the right place now. The girl pushed herself up as far as her arms would take her, only noticing Naruto when she looked up. Though her hair veiled her face, Naruto could just make out someone he vaguely recognised. Of course, that didn't lead him to make any assumptions. At the moment, calling out a name would only have a fifty percent chance of success. Nonetheless, he raised one of his hands and gave a two fingered salute.

"Hey." he said, with a full hearted smile, "It's been a while."


	9. Old faces, new people

Ok, I know a lot of you weren't exactly on the edge of your seats after the last chapter, but I'm not the kind of person who just drops things cos they ain't working. In any case, the introduction of a certain person almost all of you know and love will come next chapter. That's right, it'll not be long until we finally see Hidan!

Disclaimer: By the way, before I forget. Check out nat19th on deviantArt, she took up my challenge to draw Naruto, Gaara and Eko. She did a pretty damn good job on Nar and Gaar, so props to ya nat!

* * *

**Old faces, new people**

Naruto maintained his smile as he looked at the girl, who merely stared back with a blank expression. Between them, the cat got to its feet and padded over to Naruto, climbing onto his stomach and laying down for what seemed like a nap. The girl glanced at the cat, and from that she seemed to relax a little. But then she returned her eyes to Naruto, her obscured face still managing to look sharp with her hair in its way, "Who are you?"

The voice was steady and unassuming, and to Naruto's disappointment it came without the slightest hint of recognition. Of course, the reaction was natural. It had been a long time since he and this girl last met, and from what he could see both of them had changed very much. From what he could see of her blue denim jacket and pale yellow t shirt, she had grown up quite well. Once more Naruto was reminded of his discomfort when it came to the opposite gender, and he fixed his eyes on her deep blue eyes, barely visible though they were, and smiled again.

"Yeah, I guess I can understand if you forgot." he sighed, slipping his hand back behind his head. He noted the frown that the girl gained; he was steadily becoming more certain about who this one was, "I just figured I'd keep that promise."

"Promise?" the girl repeated, pushing herself properly onto the rooftop. She then walked towards Naruto and scooped up the cat in her arms, before stepping back with a distrustful look, "What does that mean?"

"Come on, you still don't recognise me?" Naruto asked, rolling over and pushing himself to his feet. He looked straight at the girl, taking personal pleasure in the fact that he was quite taller than her, "You use to boss me around and order me to train you all the time."

That statement only seemed to confuse the girl further. She narrowed her eyes, leaning in to get a closer look. She raised a hand and brushed some of her hair out of the way, leaving the left side of her face exposed. After a few moments, she blinked in surprise before stepping back, "Naruto?!"

Naruto grinned broadly, giving an inward laugh as she finally remembered him. The girl looked him up and down again, her brow raised in shock as she studied the boy she barely recognised. But memory seemed to slowly come back to her; at least that's what the look from her slight gape told him, "Hey Rika-chan!"

"What- you're back?" she asked, still looking quite bewildered. Her grip on the cat loosened and the small animal dropped down to the ground, before proceeding to jump off the roof and to the balcony below. Rika followed the cat with her eyes, turning around, "Hey, Keiko!"

"That your cat?" Naruto asked, stepping over to the edge as Rika dropped back down. The cat headed back in through the open door, and Rika closed it before looking back up, "When did you get her?"

"Oh, she's Emiko's." Rika replied, leaning against the railing, "But anyway, what're you doing back here?"

"Training's over." Naruto replied, slipping down to a cross legged position. He studied Rika closely, noticing she wore a skirt that matched her jacket atop her fair, well toned- "So ah- what've you been up to?"

"Oh, lately nothing much." Rika replied, brushing the hair from the other side of her face, "Yuuka's been busy at the-"

She suddenly blinked in surprise as Naruto dropped down from the rooftop and was immediately in front of her. He was staring quite intensely, his brow creased as he studied her very closely. Feeling very wary, and a little embarrassed, she lent away from him with an alarmed expression, "What?!"

"What happened?" Naruto asked, slowly raising his hand towards her face. Rika saw his outstretched fingers and panicked, swiping his hand away with an angry look.

"Don't just touch me!" she exclaimed, pushing him back with an affronted look. Seconds later however, she came to realise the cause of his concern, and looked away with moodily, "Some guy just got in a lucky shot."

Naruto blinked in surprise as she self consciously raised her own hand to her face, touching the scar that ran from the bridge of her nose down to her jaw. He could see there was a slight reddening to her cheek, which made part of the scar turn purple. She seemed very discomfited about it all of a sudden, hiding it with her hand as she looked away from Naruto.

"You got that on a mission?" Naruto repeated, with a bewildered look. Rika glanced at him and gave a brief nod, but her expression remained the same, "What happened?"

"A delivery mission got out of hand and someone snuck up on me." Rika muttered, with a look of shame on her face, "I'm not proud of it, so can you just forget it?"

Naruto faltered for a moment, looking like he was about to say something. But the look on her face made him decide against it, he closed his mouth and lowered his gaze. He took a few moments again before raising his head once more, "So where's Yuuka-chan?"

"She's down at the doctor's clinic." Rika replied, glad of the change of subject. She finally felt able to lower her hand, and slipped herself up to a seated position atop the iron railing, "She's been doing some part time work as a nurse in between missions."

Naruto raised his brow in surprise; he hadn't expected the answer to be something like that. Doing a part time job between missions sounded tough, he certainly wouldn't be keen for it. Then again, that was more because of the fact that a part time job seemed boring to him.

"So how did your training go?" Rika asked, lightly swinging her legs between the bars of the railing.

"Pretty good I guess." Naruto replied, before he suddenly got a bad feeling, "You're not gonna ask for a demonstration are you? Cos I just dropped my sword off at the cleaners."

"No thanks tough guy." Rika answered, slipping off the railing and passing Naruto by. She slid open the door and head inside, without looking back, "Today's my day off, so I'm gonna take a bath. Why don't you drop in and see Yuuka? I think she was a little upset when you left without saying goodbye."

Before Naruto could reply she had disappeared into another room. He was left there with the cat looking up at him, mewing contentedly as the blond wore a dazed look. But then after a moment he shook his head, before turning around and vaulting over the balcony, _"I got time… now where's the clinic?"_

* * * * *

Back in the tower, Yagura sat on the sill of Utakata's window, looking out to the village below while his friend blew bubbles on his bed. The room was sparsely decorated, yet by chance it seemed to suit Utakata's tastes well. Pale blue walls and a platinum coloured carpet, simple and peaceful. It wasn't like the room would get used often, and so it was fine as it was.

"What's up?" Utakata asked, looking over from his seated position to the straw haired boy at his window. He could tell Yagura was deep in thought, though that would have been easy even for a stranger to realise.

"You saw that guy's eyes didn't you?" Yagura asked, as he looked down to the distant streets. He recalled those grey almonds, with no iris and only ripples surrounding the pupils, "I don't know why, but they gave me a bad feeling."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Utakata agreed, resting his head on the wall behind him. He watched one of the bubbles floating nearby, seeing his own contorted reflection in it, "I remember reading up on something once, about a guy who also had eyes like that. He was a sage or something, I dunno. But apparently he was strong, and it had something to do with those eyes."

Yagura glanced over as he heard this; it wasn't something he himself was aware of. In fact, the mere point that Utakata had read up on stuff like that came as a surprise to him. It was a little disappointing, that Utakata seemed to have such an easy read on him while he didn't even know something as basic as that.

"What about it?" he asked, slipping down so that both his legs hung down the wall. He batted away a bubble that was moving close to his face, the thin sphere failed to burst and simply drifted off through the air.

"I wasn't really paying attention, so I don't remember much." Utakata replied, slipping his bubble blower back into his sash. He then raised his hands and placed them atop his head, his eyes going out of focus as he tried to recall, "I know that his eyes were unique though, and that none of his descendents ever possessed them again."

Yagura's brow creased into a frown, he hopped off of the sill and stepped over to the centre of the room. Raising his eyes to an area of the ceiling, he looked to where he imagined the room he met Pein to be. He stood still for a few moments, considering something to himself.

"So then this is the first person in generations to gain that dojutsu?" he speculated, looking over to Utakata. The other boy shrugged, he had already revealed all that he could remember on the subject. Yagura sighed, rubbing his eye as he looked down, "What a pain."

* * * * *

It had taken quite a bit of bothersome searching to find the place Rika had spoken of. Naruto had needed to ask quite a few people for directions, he had never visited a clinic in Ame before he left with Kisame, and so knew nothing of it.

But eventually he succeeded in finding the place, to his annoyance he had actually passed it on his way to Rika's home. It was a small, unassuming building in a busy street, so he could be forgiven for not recognising it to an extent. Looking in through the broad window, it didn't look like they were very busy at all. Only a few people sat inside, one of those being the receptionist.

"_Guess I'll take a look." _he thought, before stepping inside. Immediately he was met with glances as people gave surprised looks to the outlandish boy suddenly in their midst. He didn't pay them any attention though as he stepped past the chairs and towards the receptionist, a man with clipped dark hair, a white coat and square rimmed glasses. He watched as Naruto drew nearer to him, his expression neither impressed nor even interested.

"Got an appointment, or making one?" he asked, his jaw barely moving from its place in his hand. Naruto faltered for a moment, realising he didn't really know what to do now. But he decided to just give it a shot, couldn't hurt right?

"Uh… I'm looking for Sakai Yuuka." he said, somewhat hesitantly. The receptionist cocked his brow at the unexpected request, but didn't make much more of a reaction. He raised his free hand and jerked his thumb to the staircase off to the right.

"Top floor, in the greenhouse." he said, before returning his eyes to the newspaper before him. Naruto gave a quick word of thanks before turning to the stairs and heading up them. He was surprised it had been so simple, but then again with things so quiet he wouldn't be surprised if the staff were a little complacent. He made the ascension through several floors, until eventually he reached what looked like the door to the rooftop.

"_Here goes."_ he thought, as he reached up and pulled the door open. Almost immediately past that door was another, glass one that clearly belonged to the greenhouse mentioned by the guy down below. He could see the plants on the other side, laid out on a long wooden table. And off to the corner, with her back to him, there was a girl who oddly resembled Rika working at a counter. The only difference being that this girl's hair was tied back with a black ribbon, and she was wearing a simple blue sweater and jeans with a white apron tied around her.

Naruto couldn't help but grin to himself as he pushed the glass door open and stepped inside. The girl didn't react to his entry though, and continued whatever work she was doing regardless of his presence. However, when Naruto closed the door behind him, she spoke up, "Ayane, can you pass the poppy seeds?"

Smiling to himself, Naruto found a packet of what the girl was asking for lined up on a shelf to his left. He picked it up and walked over to her, but as his footsteps were heavier than what Ayane's probably were, the girl soon took notice. She turned around and looked at Naruto with a frown, with the same lack of recognition that Rika had, "Who are you?"

"Heh, looks like I was right." Naruto replied, grinning as he passed the seeds to the girl, "You didn't recognise me after all, did you Yuuka-chan?"

Yuuka frowned up at Naruto, but unlike her sister she was quicker on the ball. She gasped, her hands flying to her face from shock and nearly resulting in many scattered poppy seeds. Naruto chuckled to himself, now there was a reaction he was glad to have seen.

"N-Naruto-kun?!" she exclaimed, her hands dropping down as she looked Naruto up and down. She found herself studying his chest for a moment too long, and hastily turned around as her cheeks turned a shade of pink, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey hey, even Rika-chan was nicer than that." Naruto replied, pretending to take offence, "I guess I'll go then."

"Oh no!" Yuuka cried, suddenly turning around. She bowed down quickly, her ponytail falling down to her side, "I'm sorry about that, please forgive my rudeness!"

Once more Naruto found himself laughing, though this time it was much more noticeable. Yuuka looked up nervously, before realising he wasn't as cross with her as she thought he was. Straightening up, she wore the look of someone who knew they were being teased, yet did nothing to stop it. Fortunately Naruto noticed this and came to a steady stop, rubbing the back of his head as he grinned.

"Well… um… it's great to see you." Yuuka said, with an uncomfortable look. But then she seemed to get an idea, and her face lit up quite surprisingly, "Er… I'm almost done here, so if you could wait a little we could go for a walk and catch up?"

This time it was Naruto's turn to look surprised at what Yuuka said. However innocent the suggestion may have been, his absence from society and Kisame's strange snippets of innuendo had caused him to read more into it than he perhaps should. Hiding his own embarrassment behind a broad grin, he gave a nod to Yuuka that made her beam, "Sure, I'll wait."

* * * * *

Gaara sat in the place he now once more called his room, surrounded by jars that had collected years of dust. He had already abandoned thoughts of his own idiocy in the effort he had taken to gain these jars, and instead meditated as his only form of rest. His crossed legs and closed eyes showed complete solitude as his chest rose and fell with each passing breath. The open window allowed a cool breeze to pass through the air, and the afternoon sunlight gave the room a red haze to it as it cast across the brown and red urns all around.

"_I'm hungry…" _came the voice that often passed through his head, the one that held no distinction to it at all. A bland, genderless voice that Gaara couldn't ever forget, that would never allow to be forgotten.

"_Like I care." _he thought in reply, only his voice cast in his mind serving as a reaction. The other voice growled to itself, before disappearing again. After all these years, it had learned that there was a time to make suggestions to Gaara. It would wait until then to sate its desire, and then it would go as far as it could.

His thoughts now disturbed, Gaara abandoned his practice and opened his eyes. Once the Shukaku decided to make itself known, further focus was near impossible. And so Gaara got to his feet, gazing out of the window with a faraway look in his eyes. He felt the string of the pendant on the back of his neck and lowered his look to the medallion resting on his chest. He picked it up and raised it to the light, casting it in shadows as it formed a silhouette looking almost just like an eclipse. He lightly turned the metal disk in his fingers, wondering once more if possession of this would be problematic.

But then there was a knock on his door, and he quickly lost interest in the medallion. Dropping it back onto his chest, he turned around and headed to the door. Pulling it open, he raised a brow at the person he saw standing before him. Without a word, he stepped aside, allowing the person to enter. He glanced over the flowing black cloak adorned with the red clouds all he members of Akatsuki wore. He raised his eyes to the long, almost raven hair tied of the man standing in his midst. Tied back with a few strands hanging down either side of his face, the man known as Itachi turned to face him. Gaara briefly glanced over the tired creases on the older man's face, and the dark eyes that seemed even more studious than his own, before he closed the door.

"I am to assist you on your mission then?" Gaara asked, pressing his hand firmly upon the wooden frame. Itachi gave a small nod; he was as much a man of words as Gaara.

"Yes." he replied, in the exact same tone as the red haired Shinobi in front of him, "We are to meet with our client in Katoshi."

"Katoshi?" Gaara repeated, leaning against the wall behind him and crossing his arms. He wore a frown across his face, it was clear to see what he was thinking, "I'm not familiar with that place."

"It's west of Tsuchi no Kuni." Itachi explained, simply and steadily, "An economic city, not like Ame."

Gaara slowly nodded, showing his understanding. But he knew of course there was more to come; this information could have been passed at any time. And so he waited patiently, knowing Itachi wouldn't put off whatever he was going to say for too long.

"It appears you were right after all." the dark haired man admitted, breaking eye contact as soon as the words passed his lips. Gaara nodded again; naturally he was already aware of that.

"So what then?" he asked, as Itachi stepped towards the open window. He looked out to the peach coloured sky, his eyes deep in thought as he weighed his words carefully.

"Do as you will." he said, quietly. Gaara's eyes narrowed at the answer, he was discomforted by that response, "It doesn't change my own goals."

Gaara straightened up, taking a few steps toward the centre of the room. Itachi failed to respond however, his eyes remained upon the clouds outside, "So you will do nothing?"

"Nothing I hadn't already intended to." Itachi replied, wistfully. He finally bowed his head, letting out a sigh, before looking back, "And you?"

"My goals are the same too."

Itachi nodded understandingly, turning completely around. He and Gaara stared at each other for several long moments, before the former took slow steps to leave the room, "We're leaving soon, are you prepared?"

"Yes." Gaara replied, turning and following Itachi as they left the room.

* * * * *

Yuuka watched with a stunned look as Naruto left the weapon specialist shop with Eko now returned to him. She was unable to take her eyes off the giant blade perched on his back, completely dumbfounded that someone could carry such and immense weapon. Her attention was so distracted, it took a wave from Naruto to bring her back to her senses.

"How can you carry that thing?!" she asked, as Naruto began walking. She followed after him, noticing the crowd splitting apart to avoid getting glanced by the great sword. Naruto just looked blankly at her, shrugging.

"I trained for it." he replied in the simplest terms. Yuuka felt a little bothered by the lack of detail, but that was overshadowed as she realised the strength he had to possess. Naruto glanced at her, and suddenly caught a faint blush appear on her again, what was she thinking?

"So what've you been doing then?" he asked, deciding he'd said enough about himself. Yuuka gave a thoughtful look as she tried to come up with something worth mentioning, and Naruto couldn't help but smile.

"Well… Rika and I passed the academy graduation exam, and we were put into a team with Haru-kun, you remember him?" she said, looking at Naruto with a raised brow. He gave her a nod, he vaguely recalled the other people Yuuka had introduced him to before, but none of them had fit into his memory quite right, "Well, I've been a Genin ever since, but Rika and Haru-kun both advanced to Chunin at different times. So I guess I'm the weakest one, huh?"

"I wouldn't worry about that." Naruto replied, slipping his hands behind his head. He gave Yuuka a comforting grin, one that left her looking surprised at him, "If we're counting ranks, I'm a dropout from the academy who failed the graduation exam three times!"

Amidst his own laughter, Naruto definitely heard Yuuka's, even if only faintly. He flashed her a grin that was returned with a smile, certain he had safely avoided a melancholy mood.

All around them shops were beginning to close, storekeepers dimming their lights and some sweeping their floors half heartedly. Naruto glanced around at the paper angles, all of which were slaying lightly in the cool breeze. He then realised that Yuuka was walking along silently, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"_Man, she's gotta be feeling pretty awkward or something."_ he thought, before deciding to ease things up, "So what changed when I left?"

"Huh?!" Yuuka exclaimed, giving him a startled look. Naruto nodded to the angels, and she came to realise what he meant, "Oh… well… they're an offering to angel-sama, praying for good fortune."

Naruto cocked a brow, he had worked out the connection between the angels and Konan, but he had never imagined Pein had _that_ much of a metaphysical presence. It seemed to him that he had underestimated the mysterious man; he was even more efficient that Naruto thought.

"Hey, Naruto-kun?" Yuuka said, looking up at Naruto with a slightly worried expression, "You know right? If Pein-sama is real?"

Naruto cocked a brow at Yuuka, resisting the urge to come to a stop altogether. Her sharpness was impressive, even if she was a little careless with her method of information gathering. Still, he had no problem with answering.

"Nah." he said, looking down the street. He could feel Yuuka studying his expression, and actually had to hand it to her. She was more perceptive than he remembered, "Pein's just an ideal. Whoever's running the show, he isn't a god."

Yuuka watched him for just a moment more, before dropping her gaze. She seemed to accept what he said, though that wasn't such a big deal since he hadn't said anything that wasn't the truth.

They came to a junction, one that led off in four ways. One of those led to Yuuka's home, and the other to the tower that Naruto resided within. Both of them stopped here, knowing they were about to part ways.

"I got a mission to go on, so I'll be leaving again tomorrow." Naruto said, his hands falling to his sides.

"Yeah, me too." Yuuka quietly replied, shuffling uncomfortably. Naruto looked her up and down, he had a strange feeling there was something more on her mind. But he wasn't going to press her, and he decided not to keep her any longer either.

"Well, guess I'll see ya later." he said, taking the first few steps back.

"Yes, I look forward to it." Yuuka replied, with a weak smile. Naruto gave her a wave, before he turned around and started walking. He felt a little fidgety, he was sure Yuuka's eyes were still on him. But he didn't glance back, and just kept on walking.

"_Man… you know I'm gonna kick your ass if you get all depressed again right?"_

Naruto chuckled to himself. Even though the threat held no weight, he made sure he'd follow it anyway. And so just to prove it, he turned around walked backwards, giving Yuuka a big wave, "HEY YUUKA-CHAN! GREAT SEEING YOU AGAIN!"

He laughed again as even from this distance he caught the reddening of Yuuka's cheeks. She gave her own wave too, calling something similar back to him. Then she turned to her right and disappeared down another street, vanishing from view altogether. Naruto grinned to himself, before turning back to the direction he was walking.

"_Very smooth… very smooth."_


	10. The rook and the bishop

i've been planning a certain scene in here practically since the start of TDOP. I just hope it goes over well. I managed to make my two day release, so hopefully things are recovering quickly unlike last time. Now that I think about it, this'll be the first time I've written about Hidan and Kakuzu so extensively. Guess this is foriegn ground for me.

Disclaimer: After that long and painful arc, thins are suddenly getting very exciting in canon, right?

* * *

**The rook and the bishop**

Naruto and Utakata walked quietly through a dense forest, where the morning sunlight cast calmly upon them. Neither paid much attention to the chirping flock of birds flying in the direction they had just come from, they didn't need much imagination to realise the cause. Even though it was very faint, they could hear what sounded like the aggravated yells of a man.

"It doesn't look like this is gonna be the most peaceful introduction, does it?" Utakata asked, eying Naruto with a raised brow. The blond winced as he caught sight of something up ahead; a wooden chair flew through the air and struck a tree hard, shattering into many pieces,

"Nope." he replied, grimacing. Now that they were closer, the voice became more distinguished, and was often followed with hurried replies, all of which where most definitely pleading.

"HELL IF I'M PAYING FOR THE CRAP I AIN'T GONNA EAT!" the voice yelled, as a second object soared into view; a dirty plate with what looked like steamed vegetables flying off it in every direction, "SHUT UP KAKUZU, I EARNED SOME OF THAT TOO!"

"Doesn't sound like either of them are in a rush to wrap things up." Naruto muttered, with a long drawn out sigh.

They passed the thick number of trees blocking their view and from it came to see the inn that was the unfortunate target of that loud person's wrath. A simple, wooden building, it was clear the owners didn't have the income to recover from a prolonged conflict with a person who had succeeded in causing such chaos. And standing outside this inn, there was a man instantly identifiable as the one they sought.

Above the cloak they had quickly become accustomed to seeing, there was a man leaning by the open door to the in. he had his arms folded and his eyes closed, clearly trying to ignore the commotion going on behind him. Most of his face was covered in a black masked, which was attached to a grey hood. Above his dark skin, there was a triangular piece of black material that bore the forehead protector of someone from Takigakure, with a long slash running through it. He was taller than Utakata, easily so more than Naruto. As the two boys drew nearer, he detected them and opened his eyes, which were strangely coloured as red sclera and green irises with no visible pupil. They immediately locked onto Naruto and Utakata, though more specifically the medallions they wore.

"Are you Kakuzu-san?" Naruto asked, neither he nor Utakata slowing as they closed in.

"Yeah, I take it you're Naruto and Utakata?" the person identified as Kakuzu replied.

"That's right." Utakata said, as he and Naruto's destination clearly became the inn's door. He raised his finger and pointed inside, giving a questioning look to the older Shinobi, "That the other guy?"

Kakuzu nodded as Naruto and Utakata passed him, entering inside the inn. He then waited patiently, listening to the cacophony inside. After several moments of the same noise, it sounded like the two boys had found the missing member.

"Who the hell are you tw- WHAT THE, LET GO!" came the aggressive yells that slowly drew nearer. Kakuzu straightened up, and moments later the two boys reappeared dragging another man with their arms linked under his.

The man had pale skin, and short silver hair slicked back behind him. He wore his cloak with the collar open, revealing a bare chest and a silver amulet made of a large ring with an empty triangle inside it. He whipped his enraged eyes between the two boys, both of whom wore peaceful smiles as they tried not to make contact with his purple irises. More importantly though, they tried to avoid contact with the lethal looking weapon on his back, a red scythe possessing three blades instead of the conventional single blade both boys were more commonly familiar with.

"HEY, KAKUZU! WHO THE HELL ARE THESE GUYS?!" the man demanded, his livid eyes flying to the other Akatsuki member, who didn't even offer the smallest glance.

"One of them is your temporary partner." Kakuzu replied, as he stepped past the inn door. He reached into his robes and pulled out a very small bag containing coins. He tossed the bag inside, before the four of them left without a word. Well, that was what three of four had planned.

"WHAT THE HELL'S THAT MEAN?!"

"Quiet Hidan." Kakuzu ordered, with an annoyed expression. But then Utakata touched Hidan's arm, attracting the angered man's attention.

"Very sorry we're troubling you." Utakata said, raising his free hand in what looked like half a prayer. It was a sign usually used by monks, but it was clear what it meant, "I'll repay you at the next bar we cross, is that ok?"

Hidan cocked a brow to Utakata, regarding the boy curiously. Then, with a surprisingly smooth movement, he freed his arm from Naruto's grip and spun around to Utakata's left, using his still gripped arm as a means to pull the boy into a one armed hug.

"Hey, Kakuzu." Hidan said, looking back at his usual partner, "I'm taking this guy, got it?"

"Fine." Kakuzu replied, without the slightest sign of interest. Hidan grinned, before removing his arm from Utakata and patting the brown haired boy on the back. Kakuzu then glanced at Naruto, who was giving Hidan a look of quiet bewilderment, "Then I guess that leaves you with me."

"Yeah, that's fine." Naruto replied, looking back with an exasperated grin. Kakuzu nodded, before looking on ahead again, leaving the group to fall silent with only Hidan showing much enthusiasm. Utakata was already regretting his offer.

"So what's the mission?" he asked, looking over to his shoulder to Kakuzu.

"That's nothing to do with me." Kakuzu replied, without making eye contact, "You and Hidan will be doing as you like while we take care of our own mission."

"That's right little boy!" Hidan smirked, pulling Utakata into a headlock, "From now on I'm the boss!"

Naruto suppressed a grin as he sensed Utakata's growing desperation. Though he felt pity for the older boy, he wasn't sympathetic enough to do anything about it. So instead he pretended not to notice the sideward glances, and just moved back to walk alongside Kakuzu. The elder nin could already predict his question, and so he answered before it could be asked.

"We're heading to Kage no Kuni." he said, choosing to get this out of the way as soon as possible, "We meet our client there."

"Kage no Kuni?" Naruto repeated, with a raised brow. Kisame had led them through there once on their training, it seemed like a fairly dull place to him, "What's going on down there?"

"We're meeting with a man called Tomoshibi Taro." Kakuzu continued, while Hidan started chattering nonsensically to Utakata, "He has promised a good sum for his mission, and will give the details upon our arrival."

"Actually, I'm more of a hunter-nin, so I'm afraid you'll have to deal with combat while I watch your back." Utakata said, looking rather sheepishly at Hidan. The silver haired nin looked at Utakata in surprise, before suddenly crying out with excitement.

"I FREAKING LOVE THIS GUY!" he yelled, pulling Utakata into another one armed hug. The former Kiri ANBU called out in shock as he nearly tripped over, but managed to keep his footing.

"_He's good." _Naruto thought, giving Utakata a look that told no envy, _"If he hadn't already learned about this guy, I'd have serious doubts about him."_

The four of them broke over a hill, and the trees divided to reveal a vast land below. A lot of dry, sandy earth took up the ground below, marked with only scattered clumps of trees here and there. Close to those trees were small clusters of buildings, houses, stores and the likes. In the middle of all this was a square moat with thicker trees and more gathered buildings. And so they approached the largest village in Tori no Kuni.

"Hidan." Kakuzu said, coming to a stop while his partner continued on. Hidan paused however, squinting back as he impatiently awaited Kakuzu's words, "We'll split up here. Try to gather some money while I'm gone, and don't screw things up."

"Ah bite me!" Hidan grumbled, as he steered Utakata down the hill. The dark haired boy gave a bewildered wave back to Naruto, who returned it with an unsettled look. He _really _didn't envy that guy.

"Let's go." Kakuzu said, turning to his left and walking down the receding road in that direction. Naruto nodded, before hastily following.

* * * * *

The carriage jolted across the bumpy road as the horses pulled it towards the setting sun. Four chestnut steeds led the large, wheeled structure, the canvas sheltering the contents in the cool shade. The carriage owner sat at the reins, lashing where he believed necessary.

Inside the carriage, amidst small boxes of provisions, Gaara, Yagura, Kisame and Itachi each sat silently as the wooden wheels ground against the earth. Gaara and Itachi both appeared to be resting, while Yagura and Kisame both gazed out the back of the carriage to the road they had travelled.

"This'll be your first time out of the five nations, won't it?" Kisame asked, keeping his eyes on the dry road behind them. Yagura let out a long yawn, resting his jaw on his palm.

"Last week was the first time I left Mizu no Kuni." he replied, with a bored expression. Kisame smirked at this, lightly levering Samehada on its position in front of him, "I quit being surprised by the time we hit Ame."

Kisame let out a quiet inward laugh, his smirk broadening into a grin. Though it had been a long time since he had felt that, he could still identify with it even if only a little. He leant forward, resting his free arm on his knee as he let out a deep exhale.

"You know, for someone who doesn't have any memories being Mizukage, you certainly didn't take long to recognise me." he said, looking at Yagura from the corner of his eyes. He received no reaction like he expected however, not even a fleeting glance, "Especially considering you and I only occasionally met."

"It takes a lot to forget a face like yours." Yagura replied, without the slightest touch of sensitivity. Kisame wasn't offended however, and in fact preferred Yagura's openness, "But I heard about the seven swordsmen when I was younger."

Gaara opened an eye, watching the two while neither was aware of him. He was tempted to tell them to shut up, since rest was a rare commodity for him in any case. But he knew aggressive emotions would only stir a certain someone, and so he did his best to ignore those two.

"We'll be crossing the border soon." called the carriage owner. Kisame raised a hand to acknowledge the old man's words, but didn't pay much more attention. It was then that Itachi decided against further rest, and opened his eyes.

"Neither of you two have crossed the border before, have you?" he asked, directly.

"No." Gaara replied, abandoning rest and leaning forward. Itachi nodded, he would have been surprised if they had.

"Then you won't have the proper passes then." he said, reaching into his cloak. He procured twin pairs of forms, both stamped and very official looking, "These will then have to serve in place of those. To anyone who asks, Kisame-san and I are detectives from Kage no Kuni. You two have been specially authorized to assist us on our investigation."

"That means no party tricks." Kisame added, taking the forms and looking them over, "People over there aren't too familiar with ninja, there are only a few scattered clans at best. Anything overambitious will throw up red lights, so just do what you've been trained to and stay out of trouble."

Gaara nodded, accepting the form that was handed to him. He studied it well, as Yagura did when he received his. When both were content, they slipped the forms away someplace secure. But then Gaara returned his gaze to Itachi, who met it patiently, "If they do not use Shinobi, what is their main militia?"

"The country past this point is divided, hence there _is no_ main militia." Itachi replied, resting his head against the taut canvas.

"Wandering samurai, monks, mercenaries, and ninja lacking in chakra." Kisame said, counting off on his fingers as he listed what he knew of.

"Soldiers from the west have taken station there too." Itachi continued, putting more into the list, "There are many different forces over there, meaning that just about anything is possible. The only thing you are really unlikely to see are those skilled in the ninja arts."

Yagura, who had been listening intently, turned his gaze away. Like Gaara, he hadn't appeared impressed by this revelation in the slightest, and seemed to be even disinterested by it, "…Sounds pretty chaotic."

"It is."

* * * * *

Within the grounds of Tori no Kuni, Utakata walked towards the place he and Hidan had agreed to meet. The sun had finally set, but there was still light breaking over the horizon. All around town paper lanterns were lit, and the mood was about as relaxed as the air. People had long since been home and left again, eager to unwind from the day's demands in the only appropriate way; drinking and gambling.

"Hey, Utakata!" Hidan called, with an annoyed look. He stood next to the open door to a bar, where there was plenty of noise coming in jovial waves. Utakata, still slightly concerned about the weight of his wallet by sunrise, made no effort to hurry up. Though Hidan initially noticed this his expression changed from annoyance to a slow grin, spreading dangerously across his cheeks, "'Fore we go in, there's something I wanna ask ya."

Utakata raised a brow, not liking the eccentric Shinobi's tone one bit. Once again he was pulled into a headlock, though this time not as fiercely as before. Hidan moved his face uncomfortably close to Utakata's with a cunning look in his eyes and smile, "You haven't been broken into by any chance, have ya?"

Following the younger boy's frown, Hidan released him and stepped aside, looking oddly satisfied with himself. Utakata wasn't sure of what that question had meant, but the foreboding sense that he received from it gave him a chill not belonging to the warm air.

"Doesn't really matter." Hidan said, placing a firm grip on Utakata's shoulder as he steered the boy inside, "I wanna propose a little bet."

The two of them ducked under the paper strips marking the entrance to the bar, and Utakata's worries suddenly held some grounds. It seemed Hidan had succeeded in finding the biggest, and possibly sleaziest bar in town. Many men sat around wooden tables, in booths and at the bar. Not one of them was without a drink in their hand and very few of them looked clean shaven. All of them were worn and tired, their spirits raised only by conversation and the ladies that kept them company. Utakata gave a slight look of distaste, which vanished once he was placed under Hidan's scrutiny.

"Why do I get the feeling you didn't spend very long looking for work?" Utakata asked, noticing his voice was suddenly dimmed by the noise created from the eager men that filled the place. Hidan waved his question away, leading him towards the few empty seats at the bar up ahead.

"You can hear a lot of interesting things in a bar, we might be able to pick something up!" he explained, though from the glances he was giving to the women around there was another meaning to those words, "Besides, Kakuzu makes enough money for the two of us. I wanna talk to you about that bet."

He and Utakata both took a seat on the tall stools, the former still grinning while the latter appeared quite uncomfortable. Hidan gestured to the barkeep, a stout man with fading black hair and a pencil thin moustache. The barkeep waved to him in acknowledgement, before returning to his work. Hidan turned to Utakata and pulled him in close, both of their head low so they couldn't be overheard.

"You see, Kakuzu only gave me enough money to cover a room for one of us, and only for the night." he said, still wearing his grin, "And problem is, the inn's a very busy place this time round, I had to "convince" them to open up a room. You see where I'm going with this?"

"Whoever loses has to sleep outside." Utakata plainly replied. He may still be young, but he wasn't stupid. He could see through Hidan quite easily. And so he raised his hand to his chin and propped his arm on the table, a cool smirk appearing on his face, "So what are the terms?"

* * * * *

Naruto's brow was creased in deep concentration, his finger raised to his chin as his eyes scanned the object in his hand. He walked along as he read the book Kakuzu had given him, memorising each detail carefully. He turned to the final page, and gave the face on it a hard stare. He didn't recognise the man whose photo was marked here, but he committed it to his recall regardless.

"_Shinpei Takahara…" _he read, before scanning the details. That person seemed to be the leader of a group of bandits, and had one of the smaller bounties the book contained. He looked over the details once more, before closing the book and looking to Kakuzu, "All right, I think I got em all."

"There's no guarantee you'll encounter any of them, but Kage no Kuni is the sort of place that attracts those kind of people." Kakuzu said, as he took back his bingo book, "It lies on the border between the five nations and the land outside it, so it's a sneaky place. The law is decided by the rich, and there are a few people there that definitely fit that bill."

Naruto gave a nod to show he understood. He knew the sort of place, he had visited a port in Cha no Kuni once that was run by a couple of local gangs. Though from what Kakuzu said, the place they were going was a cut above what Naruto had experienced.

"So you're hoping maybe we'll run into a couple of these guys?" he asked, ducking to avoid a low hanging branch. The road had thinned out long ago and now they walked through the thinning woods. The ground beneath them was dry, the plant life wasn't doing so well. It didn't exactly paint a pretty picture of what was to come.

"Just be ready." Kakuzu replied, before coming to a stop, "We'll rest in there."

Naruto glanced in the direction Kakuzu was looking, raising his brow in surprise. What he saw was an abandoned shack, lying not too far from where they were. Old and decrepit, it looked like the only thing holding that worn shelter together was lack of a stiff breeze. Kakuzu however seemed to see no such problem as he began to make his way towards it. In the end Naruto decided against arguing, what choice did they have anyway? He wasn't opposed to sleeping outside, but in these dry conditions that hardly seemed like the best idea.

They didn't take long to reach the building, which turned out to be lacking a door. They stepped inside, and to Naruto's distaste it was as bad on the inside as it was the outside. It looked like a pack of wolves had torn through here, stacks of wood were scattered across the ground and the pan that had once been placed above the hearth was dented and beaten. Cobwebs and dust were the only things at home here, everything else was dead or gone.

Kakuzu found a spot in the corner and took position in it, sitting down on the ground. He then folded his arms over his knees and closed his eyes, apparently taking rest there. Naruto watched him with a weary expression, resisting a sigh.

"_Man, this guy doesn't even waste any _time!_" _he thought, as he shook his head lightly. He then removed Eko and laid him across the ground. He doubted there was any wildlife to make a meal out of, and without Gaara around he wasn't really sure he wanted to try his luck with the plant life. And so he lay down next to the blade, slipping his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Right above him there was a hole in the roof, revealing the stars in the otherwise empty sky, _"Doesn't look like it's gonna rain anytime soon. Ah well, more joy for the journey I guess."_

"_You're thinking about the _weather_?"_

Naruto smirked, he had a tough time discerning his private thoughts to the ones that were broadcast to Eko. Blade-wielder telepathy was tricky business.

"_So what's your read on this guy?" _he thought, casting an eye towards Kakuzu. Eko remained silent for several moments, considering what he had managed to learn so far.

"_Don't rely on him too much."_

Naruto let out an inward chuckle, one that Kakuzu thankfully ignored. Between the two of them, Eko was a better judge of character. And so he often relied on the blade when he couldn't get his own read on a person. However, in this situation he had succeeded in getting the same idea as Eko. Professional though Kakuzu seemed, Naruto would definitely be treading carefully.

* * * * *

Hidan sat alone in the bar, lightly swirling his drink as he watched his contorting reflection. He wore a sour look, one that would cause any person to want to back off slowly should their eyes meet his. Although the immediate area around him was quiet, there was plenty of noise coming from one of the booths behind him, where a group of young ladies were giggling loudly at something their entertainer said.

"Hey, senpai!" Utakata called, over the conversation of the women around him, "You can use the inn, I'm covered over here!"

Hidan cursed to himself, taking his drink and downing it in one long draught. He then slammed the glass onto the bar and bowed his head forward, clutching his gut. The barkeep came over to check on him, a nervous expression on his face.

"You'll kill yourself with this stuff." he warned, as Hidan signalled for another one. But when the silver haired man flashed a pained glair, the barkeep hastily complied. He bent down and pulled out a large bottle of liquid as clear as water. But from the indecipherable lettering, and more notably the strong odour created when the lid was removed, it seemed likely that this stuff was nothing like water. And yet once more he refilled the glass, and laid it before the wincing Hidan, "Your funeral."

"If only." Hidan muttered, taking the drink and looking into it again. He took a few deep breaths, recovering from his last drink, before he began raising his glass again.

"Hey, Hidan-senpai." Utakata said, appearing by the older-nin's side. Hidan looked up from his glass, scowling at Utakata.

"What?!" he demanded, his alcohol consumption making him a little moodier than usual. Utakata didn't take it personally, and kept the weak smile he wore when he arrived.

"I know you're not exactly in the best of moods right now, so I thought I'd cheer you up." he said, taking a seat next to his temporary partner. Hidan. Whose interests were raised by this, leant in closer to hear the younger boy's whispers, "Apparently a few of these ladies entertain certain groups that the local authorities would rather not have troubling them anymore."

Hidan raised a brow as his interests piqued. He turned to face Utakata, giving his full attention, "Yeah?"

"Apparently the authorities would be willing to part with an interesting sum of money to the person who can make this happen."

"Screw that!" Hidan muttered, waving his hand to the statement. He then ushered Utakata closer, a serious look on his face, "How many people are we talking?"

"Oh, a few gangs." Utakata replied, with a disinterested shrug, "Judging from what the ladies let slip, it's not so much a few punks as it is an infestation, you know?"

Utakata sat back, waiting to see Hidan's reaction. It didn't take very long, a smile spread across the silver haired man's face that soon became a broad grin. He pounded his fist on the bar and drained his glass again, before getting to his feet too fast and staggering. Utakata stood as well, watching with concern as his partner grabbed his sides. But after a few moments of grunts, Hidan straightened up with a look of agony on his face. Despite his apparent pain however, he grinned like a man celebrating the greatest moments of his life.

"See ya later Utakata-chan, daddy's going hunting!" he announced, before whirling on the spot and stumbling through towards the door. Utakata wore a worried look as Hidan struck the doorframe and cursed loudly, before disappearing into the night. Reluctantly, he looked to the group of women at the booth, all of whom were watching the empty doorway with condescending smiles.

"Sorry ladies, I've got to help a friend out!" he called, before running out after Hidan. He did his best to ignore the complaints of the women, he hadn't the desire nor the ability to attempt to entertain so many anyway. He just hoped for their sake the solution he used would wear off soon, "Hey, senpai!"


	11. In the land of the shadows

Wow, it's been a LONG time since I updated this early. Maybe that energy drink really did work after all (don't buy those tiny Lucozade shots, they taste like medecine), or maybe this chapter was jsut exciting. True enough, I upped my rating to M with this. Well, you'll see what I mean. Any suggestions to what the world outside the five nations would be like would be interesting, I'm still forming thoughts in my head.

Disclaimer: So not to spoil the latest manga chapter (489) I will simply say this. HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

* * *

**In the land of the shadows**

The dawn sun broke through the windows of the large, empty warehouse, casting its bright morning light upon the blood soaked floors of the building. Bodies lay casually strewn across the ground, up on the walkways and even in the rafters, each one lying in a pool of their own life water. Utakata wandered through one of the higher up rooms of the building, holding a couple of plastic cups filled with clean, cool water. He descended down the steel steps to the ground floor, taking care to avoid any of the bodies lying in his path.

"Ooh…" he heard a groan, coming from not too far away. He took a sip from one of the cups; he was already anticipating a bad mood, "My fucking head!"

He stepped around one of the large turbines at the bottom of the stairs, spotting Hidan laying on the ground not too far away, his cloak removed from his upper half and hanging around his waist. If not for what he had seen last night, the sight of the spike running through his temporary partner's gut would have worried him.

"You're quite an impressive person, Hidan-senpai." he said, crouching down next to the man. Hidan reached up and pulled the spike out of him, before moving to a sitting position. He grabbed his head, wincing in pain.

"Shit." he cursed, looking at the circle of blood around him, perfectly matching his amulet, "Jashin-sama's gonna be pissed I fell asleep in the middle of a ritual."

"Jashin-sama?" Utakata asked, handing the other cup to Hidan. The silver haired Shinobi accepted it, but gestured for silence. Utakata gave a nod of understanding, before reaching into his Kimono and pulling out a vial, "Here."

Tipping some of the contents into the cup, the water inside changed to a pale blue. Cocking his brow, Hidan raised the cup to his lips and drained it. Once satisfied, he tossed the cup aside and began rubbing his neck, getting to his feet. Utakata joined him, still a little concerned about the blood pouring out of his wound, "Shouldn't you take care of that?"

Hidan gave Utakata a curious glance, before looking down at his wound. But all he did was shrug, and pull his cloak back onto his shoulders, "It's fine, that doesn't bother me."

He gave a look around the warehouse, glancing over his work from the previous night. Utakata couldn't help but feel unease at the prideful expression Hidan wore; he seemed more than a little pleased with his work.

"Ah, excuse me senpai." he said, distracting Hidan from his dark form of entertainment, "Perhaps we should visit the authorities and receive the reward?"

"Tsk." Hidan grunted, with an annoyed look. He turned his back on Utakata, making his way toward the large open entrance of the warehouse, "Like I care about that. You do it if you want; I'm going someplace dark, and _very_ quiet."

With that he left, vanishing from sight as Utakata watched. The younger Shinobi considered going after him, he doubted a blood stained man would be very welcome in the streets. But then again, it didn't sound like Hidan was in any hurry to head to public places. And so he took his own, disgruntled look around, before turning and heading in the other direction.

* * * * *

Fukahimei, the second largest, and by extension the second most fraudulent town in all of Kage no Kuni. This was a place where even the humour was always dry, and dreams were buried beneath the layers of dust and sand that covered the craggy earth. In this place, the only ones who prospered where the ambitious, and the cowardly. To that end, it was the perfect place for a certain element to gather.

Inside one of the many bars the town held, a commotion like many others brewed in the same old fashion. Someone had knocked over another man's drink, and compensation was demanded. A thug looking to be in his forties rose sharply to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process. He glared behind his thick, greying moustache, his bonnet hiding his shiny head. He reached over and grabbed the source of his aggravation, a young man with light brown hair tied back in a low ponytail.

"What the hell do you think you're doing bastard?!" he demanded, pulling the young man close by the scruff of his neck. The young man shrank back, a scared look on his tanned face, "That was some fine wine you just spilled there!"

"No it wasn't." commented one of the man's more dim witted accomplices. The man gave his comrade a sharp look, and the other person quietened with a quick apology. The man then turned his gaze back to the younger man, a cunning grin growing on his wrinkled face.

"I think you owe me a little something." he said, raising his free hand to rub his thumb and fingers together. The signal was clear, and the young man's distress grew.

"I'm very sorry!" he cried, his hands gripping the man's as he tried to keep his voice steady, "I don't have any money!"

"Is that so?!" the man yelled, raising his fist to the boy. But then a flash of light distracted him, and he turned his glare across the bar. Another man sitting at a distance held a large camera in his hands, while a man next to him took notes. Angrily, the man turned to his brainless accomplice, "Take care of those guys will ya?"

Before he could get an answer, the man whirled on the spot and dragged the young man out into the street. As he left, the other man and a couple others got to their feet, and made their way over to the very nervous looking reporters.

"I- I'll pay you back!" the young man pleaded, as he was pulled into the alley next to the bar. He was ignored however, and tossed into the overflowing trash cans at the end of the alleyway.

"Oh you'll pay alright." the older man said, taking a small piece of what looked like varnished wood from his pocket. But then with a flick of his wrist, the young man's horrified eyes reflected in the metal of the blade that snapped out from its container, "I hear organs sell pretty well on the market. Guess I'll find out for myself."

"No, wait!" the young man exclaimed, raising a desperate hand. He was ignored however, as the man drew nearer, "Please!"

Suddenly, with a bone crunching smash, the older man was removed from his feet and thrusted into the brick wall. Crying out in pain, he dropped his weapon as he grabbed the blackened hand of the man gripping his throat.

"Perhaps there's something _you_ can give _us_ instead." Kakuzu said, his voice dripping with danger. The old man gave the large Shinobi a terrified look, amidst his gasps for air.

"Man, Kakuzu-san, you couldn't have jumped in before he threw me to the trash?" asked the younger man, as he got to his feet. After lightly brushing himself down, he raised his hands together and formed the ram seal. In an instant, his entire appearance changed, and Naruto stood in his place.

"Y-you're ninja?!" the old man wheezed, looking from Naruto to Kakuzu. The older of the two reached behind him and removed the giant blade he was wearing on his back, and tossed it to Naruto, "Bastards!"

"That isn't what we want to hear." Kakuzu said, lifting the man higher off the ground, "Where is Okamoto Gisaku?"

The old thug choked under Kakuzu's grip, but put on a strong glare of defiance. He then took in as much air as he could, before spitting on Kakuzu's mask, "Let him have it!"

Suddenly the door behind them was kicked open as the thug's friend from inside the bar charged out, wielding a rusty pitchfork. He raised it high into the air and brought it down upon Kakuzu, crying out in the process. But before it could make contact, Naruto grabbed the makeshift weapon by the handle, stopping it in its tracks.

"Hey man, you're kind of interrupting." he said, before snapping off the end of the tool with a flick of his wrist. He was distracted from anything more however, as he heard the old thug's splutters.

"Wait… please." he rasped, his voice barely audible. Kakuzu's grip was tightening, and the old man's face was turning purple. But then he suddenly released the choking man, who landed on his feet and staggered, "I… I…"

He never got to finish his sentence however, as right then Kakuzu through his rock solid fist into the old man's face. The wall behind cracked with the pressure, there was no longer a head between Kakuzu's hand and the brick. There was a _lot_ of other stuff however. Naruto stared stunned at Kakuzu, who was breathing slowly and heavily. He watched as his head whipped around, his eyes settling on the person who had tried to attack him.

"Oh my-" the man cried out, making to escape. But Kakuzu grabbed him before he could get away, and threw him against the very wall his comrade's blood and other such things was spattered with. Kakuzu pressed his hand against the man's face, forcing his cheek onto the gruesome blend of flesh, blood and bone.

"Where. Is. Okamoto. Gisaku?!" he snarled, in a voice that even made Naruto take a step back.

"He- he- he's at Little Shiro's place!" the thug spluttered, praying he wouldn't meet the same fate as his comrade.

"And where is that?" Kakuzu asked, his face nearly touching the thug's.

"Down at the bottom of town!" the thug speedily replied, "Please, let me go!"

Satisfied that was all he needed, Kakuzu pulled the thug's head back and struck it against the wall, knocking him out cold. He then tossed the unconscious man aside, onto the corpse of the fool who spat on him. Raising his arm to wipe the spit off onto his sleeve, Kakuzu turned to Naruto, "Let's go."

"H-hai!" Naruto replied. Right now, at the moment, the last thing he intended to do was annoy this guy. So he quickly followed, leaving the alleyway as they began to head south.

"_Wow… uh…"_

"_Yeah." _Naruto agreed, with an uncertain look, _"Wow."_

* * * * *

Yagura stepped out of the carriage, landing on cobbled ground. He looked over the area, raising a brow in the process. He had been raised in Kirigakure, with its chill air and buildings covered in moss and the likes. He had gone from that to Amegakure, a place filled with buzzing lights and obscene monuments protruding from the buildings. Yet here, in this place, he felt more alienated than ever.

What stuck him first was just how _square _the place seemed. The buildings, the stones beneath their feet, even the area they stood in was a massive square. He glanced over the slates upon the roofs of the stone buildings, the glass windows of the busy shops; he had never seen so much of one shape in a single place.

"_What's up with this country?" _he thought, as Gaara and Itachi appeared behind him. When both of them dropped down on the ground, the driver of the carriage headed off, the sound of the horses hooves striking the stone echoed as they left. Kisame raised his sedge hat, slipping it onto his head.

"This is gonna be annoying." he muttered, turning around to face the others, "Where too?"

"We'll check in here." Itachi replied, turning and heading towards the far side of the area. Up ahead was a small monumental clock, a stone structure standing in the centre of the square. And past it was a large, very official looking building. It stood at the top of a set of stone stairs, columns holding up the overhanging piece of stonework of the oversized edifice.

All around people were giving strange looks to these newcomers, though in Yagura's opinion the right belonged as much to him as it did to them. He would never have imagined it possible, but there was a strange sense coming from these people, a sense of self righteousness he didn't like at all. It felt like they were looking down on him, even though they made no apparent expression.

"_Damn it these people are easy to read." _he thought, as they began the climb up the stairs. By the large oak doors at the top of the stairs, two guards were stationed. They both wore grey bandanas, tied tight around their shaven heads. Black tank tops and dark green slacks made up the rest of their uniform, with the addition of heavy leather boots on their feet. Neither of the guards made eye contact as Itachi and the others approached, but once the group reached the doors they moved identically.

"Your business here?" asked one of the guards, as he and his workmate stood before the group. Like before they failed to make direct eye contact, and gripped their hands behind their backs.

"We're looking for Kishourai Industries." Itachi replied, giving away as little as possible. The guards seemed content with that, but neither lowered their defences.

"You have passes?" asked the other guard. Yagura and Gaara followed suit to their seniors' as Kisame and Itachi pulled out their passes. For the first time one of the guards moved his eyes, studying the passes and forms closely while the other maintained his averted gaze.

"These are fine." said the first guard, before jerking his head to his right, "Head in that direction, keep going until the second junction and take a right. Kishourai Industries base of operations is the compound five hundred yards from there."

Itachi nodded in thanks, before he and the others turned to their left and followed the directions. Yagura glanced over his shoulder to the guards, both of whom had returned to their positions. Even now neither looked to the group, maintaining their vigilant watch ahead of them.

"_What's up with that?"_ he thought, turning his head back to the front. He looked over to Gaara, but his age mate seemed to think nothing of it. With a slight look of annoyance, he decided to take the same state and ignore it for now, _"Guess it doesn't matter."_

* * * * *

Utakata lay upon the bough of a tree, resting in the cool shade with his arms folded behind his neck. Below him was the canal that ran right around town, the surface was as still and calm as he was. Having laid there for quite a while, he had dozed off into only slight awareness of his surroundings. Because of this he was unprepared when the bough was suddenly pulled aside.

"HWAH!" he cried out, as he fell through the air. With a loud thud he landed on his rear, wincing in pain as he sat up, "What…?"

"C'mon, get up." Hidan said, replacing his scythe on his back. Utakata looked up at him through a single eye, confusion and pain causing him to lose his composure, "I'm sick of this place, let's go."

Still feeling sore, Utakata raised himself to his feet. He looked again at Hidan, who was waiting for him to right himself with a bored expression, his pinkie inserted deep within the caverns of his ear, "Shouldn't we wait for Kakuzu-san to-"

"Ah screw him." Hidan interrupted, removing his finger and flicking away a clod of wax. He then turned around and made his way to the bridge leading out of town, "Hell if I'm hanging around just cos that bastard told me to."

Reluctantly, Utakata followed Hidan out of the village, soon getting over his mild injury but maintaining an annoyed look. He let it slip however when Hidan glanced back at him, and just wore a faintly bored expression as they walked. In the end he figured it was best to at least try and figure out if Hidan had a destination in mind, they'd need some way to meet up with Kakuzu and Naruto after all. And so he sped up a little to walk beside Hidan, intending to engage in simple conversation.

"So senpai, where are we going?" he asked, casually looking over to his left. Unnecessarily, Hidan pointed straight ahead to the empty road off to the distance.

"There's a Jashin temple I wanna visit." he said, dropping his hand to his side, "I wanna pay it a visit, since it's one I haven't been to yet."

"Sorry but, who is Jashin?" Utakata asked, looking over to Hidan questioningly. Hidan looked to Utakata from the corner of his eye, a thin smirk appearing on his face. He then casually held his hands behind his back, closing his eyes in a conspicuously casual manner.

"Jashin-sama is god." he said, in a simple tone. Utakata raised a curious brow, considering the sight he had seen earlier religion was the last thing he'd expected this person to be involved in, "He watches over those of us who bring total slaughter and destruction."

With his other brow following its brother, Utakata gave Hidan a shocked look. He had far from been expecting an answer like that, something that sounded as incorrect as that did, "A god who wishes death and destruction? I can't say I'm familiar with that sort of following."

"Heh, and that's why you're a heathen." Hidan replied, his smirk widening. He then turned his head to look directly towards Utakata, his purple eyes honing in on Utakata's single visible one, "Of course, if you become a Jashinist and take Jashin-sama as your god then he can still forgive you."

"Ah, sorry." Utakata said, raising his hand in the single prayer sign for apology, "I think the situation is dangerous enough as it is."

From the looks of things, saying that only served to annoy Hidan. The person now confirmed as a Jashinist wore a scowl as he looked ahead again, his arms falling back to his sides. Utakata could tell that he had offended him, though that was an obvious deduction.

"Though it does sound interesting." he said rather quickly, "I'm guessing from your yelling last night that it has something to do with how you fight?"

Hidan let out a long, drawn out sigh at Utakata's question. Though rather than annoyed, he seemed only discomforted instead. He reached within his cloak, his hand lowering further and further. Misinterpreting the gesture as further vulgarity, Utakata raised his eyes to the road ahead, his brow creased in astonishment.

"You're gonna make me read out of this, aren't ya?" Hidan asked, as he removed his hand from his person. Confused, Utakata looked at him, only to realise Hidan was in fact holding a small leather-bound book in his hand. Upon that book was the circumscribed triangle identical to the amulet he wore, marked in black. With a quick flick of his thumb he undid the clasp keeping the book closed and snapped it open, before reading out in a bored voice, "To any who meets Jashin's infinite gaze, horror's unlike any imaginable shall be born witness. And so to his most faithful of disciples, he ensures their eyes never meet, by blocking them from the gates of the afterlife."

Once he finished reading the passage, he closed the book and returned it to the confines of his cloak. He then looked at Utakata with a cocked brow, as if challenging a question. Not quite satisfied with the explanation, Utakata decided to take that challenge.

"So… as long as you continue to worship Jashin… you'll never die?" he asked, his eyes narrow as he wore a confused look.

"Eh, long as you stay on his good side you don't gotta worry about it." Hidan replied, with a shrug, "Keep piling up the sacrifices and he'll keep you alive."

"You sound almost disinterested." Utakata commented, wearing a weak smile. They reached the top of the hill that they had travelled down just the other day, before taking a slightly different path to the left. Hidan rotated his stiff shoulders, a complacent look on his face.

"It sounded cool the first few times, but I prefer just dealing with the sacrifices." he replied, rolling his neck from side to side, "The bastard that showed me Jashinism made me learn to read first, which was fucking annoying."

Utakata let out a small laugh, suddenly understanding Hidan's sour mood. Though he couldn't quite believe what he said, Jashin sounded a little far fetched to him. But he decided to keep it to himself; he wasn't going to cause problems because of a difference in beliefs.

* * * * *

"_Man, this sucks." _Naruto thought, as he pressed his back against the wall behind him. He stood outside a fairly small manor, surrounded with mahogany walls that ran a complete perimeter to the large gates at the front. Before him was an unstable hill covered in boulders, none of them looking the least bit safe to stand upon. The sound of cries and smashes filled the air as Kakuzu fulfilled the role Naruto preferred and distracted them. That left him with the task of infiltrating and locating their target.

A shadow at his feet made him raise his eyes, where he spotted six large and very familiar forms. Akira and the other dogs looked down at him, tongues lolling and tails wagging. Naruto raised a hand to them, a closed fist which opened up to his fore and middle fingers stretching out, while his thumb jutted aside. The dogs caught the signal immediately and disappeared from sight, heading to assist Kakuzu from the shadows. After a few moments of silence, Naruto turned around and took a step back. Channelling his chakra, he leapt up and over the wall, landing on the walkway to the house inside. Though his descent was silent, he was intercepted by thugs acting as guards from both sides, six men wielding long knives while two carried lethal looking harpoons.

"GET HIM!" one of the thugs yelled, flinging the harpoon straight at Naruto. At the same time, the man on the other side did the same.

The two oversized arrows flew through the air, threatening to impale Naruto on both sides. But Naruto didn't let that bother him as he quickly spun on the spot. As both of the harpoons soared past him, he reached out and touched the bases. With a loud cracking sound they both shattered into countless shards of wood, leaving only the metal head intact. Far from done however, Naruto continued the motion once more, throwing his hands out to either side. He wore a maniacal grin as he channelled chakra through his palms, wind blasting through the air in a fierce gale.

"GOOWAH!" the thugs cried out, as every one of them were struck with many dozens of wooden darts, and the ones who originally threw the weapons were impaled with the blades. They all fell back, clutching their eyes and stomachs as blood flowed over their clothes. Though two were certainly close to dead, judging by the gaping holes in their stomachs, Naruto proceeded to finish the rest off by plunging his hands deep into the sleeves of his haori and pulling out shuriken. Then with a silent toss, the final four were felled clutching their throats in agony. Naruto straightened up, a smirk spread across his face.

"_You're enjoying this too much. Stop it."_

Naruto chuckled to himself as he gripped Eko's hilt and slashed through the paper wall in front of him. He seriously doubted there were many more guards inside, there was much too much noise going on down in the courtyard to imply otherwise. And so he stepped inside what looked like a spare room, and made his way into the hall. He glanced up and down either side with a speculative expression, but seemed to conclude nothing. He looked to Eko for suggestions, awaiting the blade's response.

"_Basement?"_

"Heh." Naruto chuckled, deciding to take Eko's idea and try it out. He turned the blade in his hand, so that the tip pointed towards the wooden floor. He then changed his grip by letting go of the hilt and placing his hand upon the cross guard. A quick burst of chakra later and the floor shattered as Eko shot downwards, followed by Naruto who dropped down the hole after him, "GUESS WE'LL FIND OUT!"

* * * * *

"Y'know, this isn't so bad." Hidan said, lightly kicking his foot up and down from his resting position. He and Utakata lay down in two giant bubbles, hovering high above the ground as they floated in the direction Hidan had instructed. The trees had all blended into a single, massive form and the clouds were so close one would have believed they were in the mountains of Kaminari no Kuni.

"It does certainly beat walking, doesn't it?" Utakata asked, looking down at the river below them with a faint twinkle to his eye. He sat cross legged, once more raising his appearance as a monk to curious standards. Hidan on the other hand lay with his hands behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. Though he had been reluctant at first, he seemed now oddly relaxed, "Not quite as "gay" as you thought, huh?"

"Hey, you tell anyone about this and I'll fucking sacrifice you, got it?" Hidan warned, with a dangerous look. Utakata wasn't intimidated however, and kept a small smile as he looked at Hidan.

"Don't worry about it, I wouldn't want the negative karma." he replied, before shifting himself to a lying position, propped up on an elbow as he looked at Hidan, "On that note…"

Hidan cocked a brow as Utakata raised his hand in a seal. Before he even had the chance to look worried, Hidan's bubble suddenly burst, and he began a sharp descent downwards.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"


	12. The old man's request

Whew, I was a little worried abut the update there. Still on time though, even if I barely made my minimum word count. I've been getting ahead of myself, thinking about the future plot before fully deciding on the current one. In any case, here is what you've been waiting for, the twelth chapter. I think this marks about a sixth/seventh of part 1, I dunno, I suck at maths. Anyway, here you go.

Disclaimer: Is it just m, or is the internet reluctant to acknowledge the existence of Naruto Ninja Council 2 for the DS? I've been having a hell of a time finding help for that, I can't beat Orochimaru no matter how hard I try.

* * *

**The old man's request**

The ceiling caved in, with an earth shattering crash. Plaster and wood scattered in all directions from the explosion above, filling the basement with a cloud of smoke and dust. A shrill cry could be heard as someone stumbled back in shock, but the form was nothing more than a vague shadow. However, as the dust slowly settled, the form became clear. It was a short, middle aged man in a navy kimono, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses and a pencil thin beard running around his mouth. His close cropped hair and skinny form made him appear like a common punk, but his clothes were made from fine material. Clearly something was amiss.

The man watched in horror as the cloud faded away, he was now able to see the person who had interrupted him. A very dusty Naruto straightened up, lifting Eko into the air and across his shoulders. He looked around the room, his expression turning to disappointment as he realised the few numbers present. All he could see was the strangely inappropriate man before him, a couple of nagamaki wielding guards and some old guy tied to a chair.

"Are you Akatsuki?" the old man panted, looking at Naruto through a cut and bleeding face. He wore a pale blue jinbei made of silk, though it was dirty and bore scratches upon it. His short greying hair and wrinkled face suggested a man in his fifties, though the weary look he wore suggested he was older. Naruto regarded the old man, it didn't take him long to work out who he was.

"Nah, I'm from Yoinokuchi." he replied, fixing his eyes on the guards who were drawing nearer, "Akatsuki is up there, taking care of any backup."

He suddenly frowned as he heard many heavy footsteps. Glancing off to his left he saw the door to the basement get kicked open as five more thugs ran inside. With backup now present, the odd looking man seemed strangely confident, and angry.

"Ya break into my home…" he said, with a frustrated glare, "Ya ignore the master of the house, and ya destroy the place. I will not forgive this!"

Naruto gave a look of condescending disbelief as the man threw his arm out, making his last exclamation as dramatic as he possibly could. Naruto glanced down to the person tied to the chair to see his take on this, but he then realised that the old man wasn't doing so good.

"Hey, no worries Okamoto-san." Naruto said, with a confident smirk. Okamoto Gisaku raised his head, breathing heavily as he looked at the boy, "I'll definitely you out o- ah- ah!"

Whipping his head back, Naruto let out a heavy sneeze. The dust in the room had caused his lungs to convulse, and resulted in a lot of sound as Naruto narrowly avoided whiplash. He kept his face turned away as he pulled a tissue from the sleeve of his haori and blew his nose, before balling it up and tossing it over his shoulder, he then turned back, an annoyed look on his face.

"Man, that was embarrassing." he muttered, as Eko stuck to his back. He reached down to Okamoto's bound hands and sliced the ropes with his futon chakra, before helping the beaten man to his feet, "Anyway, lets get-"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YA THINK YA DOING?!" the punk-ish looking man exclaimed with a bewildered look. He pointed accusingly at Naruto while glaring at his men, "DON'T LET THIS BASTARD IGNORE US, KILL HIM!"

"You guys have got other problems right now." Naruto said, slipping Okamoto's arm over his shoulder. He then raised his free hand in a single seal, and the tissue he had thrown began hissing angrily. As the attention of the men surrounding the explosive tag diverted, he leapt out through the hole he had came in and made it out of the house just as the tag exploded.

"You're rather peculiar, aren't you?" Okamoto asked, as he and Naruto landed on the wall just outside the smoking building. Naruto let out a small laugh in reply; the old man was certainly sharp.

"C'mon, we need to get you cleaned up." he said, as he raised his hands in the cross seal, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Okamoto looked in surprise as a second Naruto appeared, hooking the old man's other arm over his shoulder. Okamoto merely muttered something that sounded a lot like "ninjas", before his head drooped down. Naruto knew Okamoto was unconscious, and so proceeded to move to get him someplace safe. He knew Kakuzu and the dogs would be fine, right now the priority was saving this guy. And so he and the Kage Bunshin turned to the right, before running off as fast as they could.

* * * * *

Gaara stood by the window of the large office, looking out onto the compound that was Kishourai Industries'. There was a small cafes complex in the courtyard at the centre of the area set up for the staff and anyone visiting the premises. A large stone fountain in the centre added decoration to the bushes and benches, all very pretentious in Gaara's opinion, "… so you see it would be beneficial to Kishourai in the long run, and-"

"Our mission?" Itachi interjected, growing tired of the businessman's speech. Gaara turned his back to the window and leant against the wall, fixing his eyes on the many framed certificates and degrees hanging up like they were something to be proud of. The large desk, the units and the wine cabinet, he couldn't help but wonder just what their employer's poor writing hand had gone through to earn this. But he said nothing, and simply waited for the time they would get on with things.

"Ah- of course, my apologies." said their employer, a weedy looking man with a pinstriped suit and quickly greying hair. He pushed his oversized glasses back up his nose, a nervous sweat caused them to continuously slide out of place. This was partially due to Kisame, but from the mannerisms of constant fidgeting and glances to the door it was clear there were other reasons, "Well, you see, some of the higher ups want to make my department redundant, which will cost me my job."

Itachi nodded in understanding while Yagura turned away, a sour look appearing on his face. He had seen on his way in that there were a lot more people in his department than just him. He was the only one to react however; everyone else had already formed their opinions and ignored them.

"So what I need is for you to get rid of those members." the businessman continued, growing slightly more confident as he reached the point, where things were more in his area of expertise, "If you can assassinate them all before the board meeting, I'll pay you well."

"How many targets are we talking?" Kisame asked, while Yagura cast a frown back to the others. He was confused about something, but chose not to mention it.

"There're four of them, out of the eleven members of the board." the businessman replied, as he reached into his desk and pulled out a chequebook. He opened it and took his pen, before looking up at Itachi questioningly, "How much would this cost?"

"We don't accept cheques." Itachi answered, his eyes fixed on their employer's, "Cash only."

It was then that the businessman faltered, his expression growing nervous once more. Unenthusiastically, he put his chequebook and pen away before leaning forward on the table, "Ok, I understand. It'll be suspicious if I withdraw a large sum of money prior to the assassinations, but I think I can make it work."

"That is your concern." Itachi replied, as he and Kisame rose to his feet. The businessman was quick to follow, a worried look on his face, "The cost for four assassinations will amount to two million ryo."

At this mention even Gaara felt a sense of amusement. He recalled looking over the files in Momochi Zabuza's lair, there hadn't been a single bounty with less than a five million ryo reward. He had even found one for Naruto, who had received a higher sum than that. At least then something made sense; these targets were as worthless as he thought.

"Two million?" the business man repeated, his expression relaxing a little, "Yes, that should be fine."

"Let us know when you have the money, _then _you can give us our targets." Itachi said, before making his way to the door.

"Hold on Itachi-san." Kisame said, taking a step forward. He grinned at the businessman, showing his sharp teeth in a non threatening manner that construed the thought regardless, "You went a long way to hire us, it's surprising you didn't try more available methods first."

Itachi came to a stop, looking back at their employer as he caught on to Kisame's accusation. The businessman faltered under the four piercing gazes, he hadn't the guts to face up to these terrifying people. He dropped back down into his seat, bowing his head in shame, "I have, frequently."

Itachi turned around, facing the businessman full on. But the feeble excuse for a man didn't need to look up to understand his situation. He just fidgeted with his hands and tried not to make eye contact, "I managed to keep my name from coming up, everyone I hired has failed."

Yagura glared at the coward before them, if it were up to him they would leave without so much as a word of farewell. But from the look on Itachi's face, it appeared the elder Shinobi had made no such decision just yet. In fact, he seemed to have nowhere near Yagura's level of concern. After a brief moment's thought he turned back to the door and reached out to it, "Six million ryo."

* * * * *

It was a couple of hours later, and the air was very different. Despite the poor conditions Naruto and Kakuzu had experienced of the town, they now knelt in a rather nice place. It was a very traditional style house, with paper doors, tatami mats and the likes.

Between them and their host was a short wooden table, where a young girl was pouring hot tea into cups. Kakuzu kept his eyes on Okamoto, lightly observing the bandages and gauze covering most of his wounds. The old man's left arm was tied in a sling, and his corresponding eye was also hidden behind the white material as well. He watched as the girl poured the tea, he was familiar with this formality, while not quite settled with it.

Despite this tough atmosphere, Naruto remained oblivious. He watched the girl pouring the tea, looking over her soft looking chestnut hair, and smooth looking skin. It wasn't until she glanced up at him with her hazel eyes that he realised he'd been staring, and abruptly stopped. The girl seemed to take no notice however, and simply bowed before leaving the room. Once the door was shut, Okamoto spoke.

"I'd like to thank you for the aid." he said, taking his cup and sipping from it. Naruto did the same, with Kakuzu being the only one not to touch his drink, "There are few who would endanger themselves for an employer who hadn't even given them their mission yet."

"The service will be added to the bill." Kakuzu replied, in a calm voice he hadn't possessed in a while, "Regardless of whether we accept the mission or not, we'll expect payment for at least that."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Okamoto agreed, with a confident nod. Naruto cocked a brow at their employer, but didn't say anything as the older man cast his eyes to the garden outside. Like the building it was traditional, with a koi pond and a sakura placed within the confines of the surrounding walls, "A man should earn his place in the eyes of others, to have those people look up at him, and not down at him."

Naruto raised his brow to Okamoto, he could certainly understand and respect that ideal. Kakuzu on the other hand showed no signs of following that idea or the contrary, simply watching their employer patiently, "So what is it you require of Akatsuki?"

Okamoto took another long draught from his tea, taking a pause to collect his thoughts. Once he was ready, he placed the cup back on the table and straightened up.

"This town isn't controlled by law enforcement of any kind." he explained, without a hint of doubt in his eyes. Naruto could see the regretful look on Okamoto's face, but at the same time the steely determination of someone much younger, "The gangs that infest this place bastardise law by claiming it to their own desires. That is why this place is so rotten, because those rats are the ones in control."

"You wish to have these pests eliminated?" Kakuzu asked, following the metaphor accurately. Okamoto considered the question for a moment, before lightly shaking his head.

"I won't be so foolish as to assume you aren't already aware of the present situation." he said, understandingly. Kakuzu gave him a nod of confirmation, proving to Naruto that he had been left out.

"What are you talking about?" he frowned, looking between Kakuzu and Okamoto with an expression of confusion. Okamoto seemed only momentarily discontented by the apparent divide of information, but remained undeterred about it as he decided to explain.

"I am the leader of what is the second most powerful organisation existing within this, and three other towns of Kage no Kuni." he said, closing his eyes and placing his hands on his knees as he spoke. Naruto was stunned from this information, but soon he realised just why Okamoto had been kidnapped in the first place, "So as you probably understand, I am one of those rats."

"Hypocrisy is human nature." Kakuzu said, with the resolution of certainty that few people ever had, "Doing whatever is necessary to gain high standing, even if those measures are in themselves underhanded. If there is a person alive who hasn't committed such an act, it's because they haven't been given the opportunity to yet."

Okamoto nodded sagely, he knew well of such things. Nonetheless he seemed a little comforted by them, and so he continued diligently, "The kidnapping today was one of many attempts made by the lesser gangs of this town. They all seek favour with the most powerful group, the Shinuso family. It's run by a man named Shinuso Takagi, who has held his position for well over two decades now. He has shown explicit interest in my organisation's dispersal, and has made these interests known."

Naruto and Kakuzu both watched as Okamoto, with difficulty, pushed himself to his feet. He took the cane that rested against the wall behind him, and limped towards the door to the hallway, looking and listening for anyone eavesdropping. After a few moments, he decided there were none, and looked to the two Shinobi who had saved his life with a serious expression.

"The obvious solution of course would be to kill Shinuso Takagi, but that wouldn't help either." he said, as he moved back to the table, "What I need is to make his assets my own, killing him wouldn't be enough to do that."

"So sabotage?" Naruto asked, leaning forward onto the table. He wasn't too familiar with missions of that sort, but he knew enough to recognise they were tricky, much more so than simple assassination.

"No, he wouldn't need us for that." Kakuzu replied, without taking his eyes off Okamoto, "He wouldn't be the leader of the second most powerful organisation if that much wasn't within his own capabilities. What he requires is something else, a distraction perhaps?"

"You're very intuitive indeed." Okamoto said, giving a nod of respect. Once more Naruto was confused, a distraction sounded even easier than the rest. He couldn't understand then why they would be needed for something like that, "Shinuso has hired some missing-nin to guard his transactions and the likes. What I need from you is to draw these Shinobi out and take care of them, giving my men an opening to do what must be done."

It was then that Kakuzu became truly interested. He moved a little closer to the table, leaning towards Okamoto as he looked his employer full on in the eyes. Okamoto, having no reason to know the purpose of this, simply frowned at Kakuzu as he awaited an explanation for the change of mood.

"Do you have any information on these Shinobi?" Kakuzu asked, his attention darting between both of Okamoto's eyes as he looked for something neither Naruto nor Okamoto could identify.

"I do not." Okamoto replied, sitting back and bowing his head slightly, "All my men were killed by these Shinobi, there were no survivors or any bodies left behind."

Kakuzu moved back at this reply, closing his eyes as he thought to himself. Naruto had an idea that he had been hoping for one of the names in his bingo book to crop up, and was therefore disappointed in the lacking results. Once he opened his eyes again though, he acted as if nothing had happened, "Assassination of multiple skilled targets is a costly request. Without any idea of the numbers, this could be quite difficult to pay for."

"I assure you I am far from lacking in fiscal terms." Okamoto replied, stony faced and serious, "And if the operation is successful, I will have the Shinuso family's resources at my disposal. You'll have your money, I guarantee it."

"We shall see." Kakuzu said, as he rose to his feet. Naruto followed him, picking Eko up off the ground as he straightened up. Okamoto made to stand as well, but a gesture from Kakuzu informed him it was unneeded. He and Naruto left their employer and stepped into the hallway, taking their leave for the time being.

* * * * *

Utakata and Hidan rose up the stone steps before them, the orange sky somehow making the climb seem even longer. Shadows crawled from the trees to either side, reaching out for the Jinchuriki and the Jashinist as they walked undeterred. There was a chill wind in the otherwise warm air, sand from above scattered and rolled down the steps past the two wayfarers, seemingly in a hurry to head in the other direction.

Utakata tried to keep his breathing steady; his stamina wasn't at its best right now. He had had difficulty calming Hidan down after his little slice of revenge for being knocked from the tree, and as such had remained quiet for a while now. Hidan had kept his foul mood, but his dislocated shoulder had kept him from doing too much until Utakata had fixed it. Needless to say there were no offers of bubble rides since.

They finally reached the top of the steps, finding level ground at long last. Up ahead of them stood what looked to be a shrine, but unlike what they sought Utakata clearly saw this as a typical shrine. They stepped through the Shinto gate that stood not far before them, before ascending another short flight of steps to the shrine grounds themselves.

He and Hidan both glanced around as they walked along the path towards the shrine up ahead. The former had his brow raised while the latter wore an amused smile, letting out a slight snigger as he looked to the purification font off to the side. He then noticed the wooden plaque to their right bearing wishes from passers by, and actually laughed aloud.

"What is it?" Utakata asked, failing to see the joke. From what he could see there wasn't anything amusing about the wishes, just travellers hoping to do well in trade or to avoid bandits. But Hidan didn't offer a reply, possibly because of his mood or simply because he didn't feel the need to.

They passed the small administrative building and made their way past the two lion statues of the hall of worship, before continuing straight through to the other side. It was when the main shrine came into sight that they stopped, and truly took in the building before them.

"This place is well maintained." Utakata noted, looking over the tall fence surrounding the building, and the building itself. Even the finials on the roof had been taken care of. But those were hardly the most interesting point. What his eyes focused directly on was the statue above the entrance to the shrine.

It was a pair of jade kitsune, both lying across the entrance in a leisurely manner. One had its head raised, looking past the one in front to the two travellers before it, while the other appeared to be sleeping, holding a small ball between its paws, "The priest here clearly works hard."

"You're half right." Hidan replied, with a smirk. He jerked his thumb back, gesturing behind them, "It's not a priest."

Utakata looked back with a raised brow, though he had been quick to realise what Hidan meant. The sight confirmed his thoughts though; he could faintly see a woman within the administrative building. She was watching them, though from her place it was difficult to make her out. Utakata had to hand it to Hidan; he was much more aware than Utakata first thought.

"Should we greet her?" he asked, just as the priestess disappeared from sight. He thought it would be rude not to do so, especially if she was so ardent about the upkeeping of this place.

"Nah, we'll take care of that later." Hidan replied, as he continued towards the main shrine. Utakata hesitated, but soon followed.

They soon stepped within the confines of the shrine, where there was a large altar confirming the suspicions of Utakata; this was definitely a shrine to the kami Inari. The many small fox statues were enough to hint to that.

"All right, let's see…" Hidan muttered, as he stepped towards the shrine. He came to a stop when he was right in front of it, looking down to the stonework while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Yeah, this looks right. Hey, come over here."

Doing as he was told, Utakata stood beside Hidan and looked at the place the Jashinist's eyes were resting on. Between two small holes intended for incense, there were three slots side by side etched into the altar, each one looking to be quite deep. Hidan reached behind him and took his scythe in hand, holding it to Utakata, "Hold this will ya?"

With a nod Utakata did so, watching curiously as Hidan raised his hands to the tip of the large weapon. He gripped the uppermost blade by the joint connecting it to the pole of the staff, and with a strong tug he pulled it off. He then proceeded to do the same with the other two, leaving them upon the altar, until Utakata was left holding a long and relatively unthreatening pole in his hands.

"Ok…" Hidan muttered, picking the blades back up. He quickly studied the holes in the altar, before he then began placing each of the blades _inside _the holes. Utakata was shocked by this, just what on earth was Hidan doing?!

As the third and smallest blade was pushed inside the hole, Hidan crouched down with an oddly studious expression. After a few moments his face gained a satisfied look, and he straightened up again. Then, with awe inspiring ease, he actually _kicked _the altar back, the large stone monument sliding back like nothing of its size should have been able to. The reason soon became clear to Utakata though, who was then left with an even greater feeling of shock.

"_Unbelievable."_ he thought, his eyes wide and his lips parted.


	13. The hand that is dealt

I'm actually pretty curious t see how this chapter will be recieved, I put a lot of thought into this one. Not to say I- screw it, writing is normally piss easy for me, but this time I hit a bit of a problem whereit comes to character focus. You'll see what I mean. In any case, I got a good idea about the response I'll get. Nonetheless, I'll be waiting your views as always.

Disclaimer: Surprisingly enough I got nothing to put here today. Head must be empty, ah well.

* * *

**The hand that is dealt**

Utakata and Hidan descended the stone steps beneath the altar, heading down into the darkness below. The Jashinist had lit a torch with an explosive tag, and the two made their way through the pitch black tunnel. Slowly, the atmosphere grew heavier and the wind began whistling as it breezed through the opening behind them. Hidan had been forced to leave the blades of his scythe behind, but assured Utakata there was no way someone other then him could remove them and close the door.

Illuminated only by the mild light of the torch, Utakata needed to watch his step well. He was still silently stunned that such a place existed beneath a _Shinto shrine_ of all places. He looked along the stone walls and earthy floor, just when had this place been constructed and why was there a shrine placed atop it? Surely the priestess would protest to such defiling of a kami like this?

Too much of the situation made no sense to him; it was just too difficult to comprehend. Never mind the oddly peaceful look Hidan wore, nothing seemed to fit here. He resisted the long sigh he wanted to make; he hoped there would be some sort of explanation soon.

After just a few moments more of walking, Utakata suddenly felt the air grow lighter as they entered a larger room. He came to a stop as Hidan tapped him on the arm, the Jashinist then moved to walk around the room, lighting the torches attached to the walls all around. With each beacon igniting, the room became clearer, but it wasn't until Hidan lit the metal basin at the farthest point of the room that things truly became visible. Utakata gaped in disbelief.

Like the shrine behind them, this too contained an altar of sorts. But this one was dedicated to no kami Utakata had ever seen. A large stone statue of an old man was etched upon a granite throne, looking straight ahead with the cold expression of a killer. He was well built, incredibly muscular for a man of his apparent age. He sat without a shirt, but a mantle draped over his shoulders. A thick beard and long hair hung around his strong, confident face, his empty eyes somehow the most grasping feature of his face. He wore the robes of a priest, but they hung down past his waist much in the way Hidan wore his cloak in battle. These however, were far from the most interesting point.

Upon either shoulder, the back of his hands, and even on his chest. To each of these places, there was another face identical to his own, missing only the hair. They each wore the same expression, there was no difference between the cold cutting gaze each one gave off. Truly, this was a disturbing sight to behold.

"Utakata… meet Jashin-sama." Hidan said, as he came back to stand next to the awestruck boy. He slipped the torch he held into and empty slot on the wall, before looking upon the figure of his god with an expression of reverence. Utakata slowly tore his eyes from the stone idol, turning his gaze to Hidan instead, "You sure you don't wanna convert?"

"Aha." Utakata weakly chuckled. He was feeling pretty uncomfortable about this situation, but didn't know what to say. He looked to the statue once again, studying the head of Jashin warily, "So this is the person you worship huh?"

Hidan let out his own slight laugh, though his wasn't nervous like Utakata's. He pointed down to the floor, where there was several marking engraved on a large circle. It bore the mark of Jashin, with indecipherable writings running across the edges of the shape. And that circle was painted in dried blood.

"Looks like someone converted not too long ago." he said, with a gleeful grin. Utakata failed to share his sentiments however, as he gave the blood an uneasy look. Hidan ignored the expression and took a step back, stretching and yawning loudly, "Sure you don't wanna try it? Just think about the afterlife buddy."

"Heh, maybe Jashin-sama will go easy on me." Utakata nervously replied. He rubbed the back of his head and glanced back at Hidan with an unsettled smile, "I did sort of act as your acolyte after all."

Hidan cocked a brow as Utakata looked away, interested by the boy's words. He then tiredly rolled his neck, which was still aching after his fall, "Acolyte huh? I guess I owe you one for that."

Not quite understanding what that meant, Utakata decided not to reply. He looked over the markings on the floor; they were like none he'd ever encountered previously. It made him wonder, was Jashinism a foreign religion? If that was the case did that mean there was a place with many Jashinists, wherever the belief originated from? The thought made him quite uneasy, but curious at the same time, "Where did Jashinism co- NGH!"

Utakata's eyes widened in shock, his teeth clenching together as he gasped in pain. His eyes dropped down to his stomach, to what looked like a thin, red spike which now protruded from it. Of course, he could see that the spike hadn't been red to begin with. But pain shot through him in a sudden rush, like electricity coursing through his entire body. He felt paralysed, unable to move from sheer pain. He felt Hidan moved closer, the Jashinist's lips close to his ear.

"Let me give you a choice then." he whispered, before pushing Utakata down onto the stone circle. The boy landed with a dull thud, the spike pushed back a foot due to the stone in its path. Hidan stood over Utakata, smirking as he pulled a curved kunai from his cloak. With a quick slash, he sliced his hand open and scattered blood across the boy and the circle. Then he raised his hands, and began coursing through a series of seals.

"_Tiger-monkey-boar-ox-serpent-tiger-bird!"_ Hidan thought, holding the final seal. He quickly lowered himself onto one knee, looking up at the statue of Jashin determinedly, "Jujutsu: Parting of Life and Death!"

Utakata watched weakly as the seals around him began to glow a faint red. The markings steadily brightened, until he was lying in a pool of red light. He raised his eyes to Hidan, was it just his imagination, or was the Jashinist's skin darkening?

"_Yagura…"_ he thought, as everything began to fade, _"Please… forgive me."_

* * * * *

"Shit!" Yagura cursed, sharply rising to his feet. Gaara and the others looked up at him with a raised brow, noticing the large stain suddenly adorned upon his clothes. The cup he had been drinking from had suddenly shattered, spilling the contents upon both him and the table the four were sitting at. Angrily, he looked off to the nearest server and called out, "Hey, waiter!"

"Heh heh, looks like we're getting free drinks." Kisame muttered, as he placed the tip of his fingers in the quickly spreading liquid. With a small amount of chakra he kept the tea from spreading further, holding it in place while the waiter hurried over to them.

"Oh dear, my apologies!" the waiter exclaimed, whipping out a cloth and hastily cleaning the table. He then deeply bowed to both Yagura and then everyone else at the table, "I'll get you fresh drinks, on the house!"

After hurriedly picking up the shards of the broken cup, he left for the kitchen to do as he just said. Grumbling in annoyance, Yagura took his seat again, propping his elbow on the table and resting his jaw on his palm. The commotion soon died down and anyone who was watching returned their attention the conversation they had previously been engaged in. Only the table with the four Shinobi remained silent, and even that was broken as Yagura soon spoke.

"You know assassinating all four of these guys will make it obvious who's behind it?" he said, looking between Itachi and Kisame. The former acknowledged Yagura's words, but it was the latter who replied.

"Doesn't matter. We're not looking to earn favour, and definitely not out in a place like this. We're just here for the money, so whatever he hires us to do; we'll do it and move on. Let him deal with whatever mistakes he makes."

"So for now we're simply a group of mercenaries?" Gaara asked, speaking up for the first time in a while. Itachi looked up at the red haired boy, taking a moment to answer.

"That's all that's required of us." was his simple reply. Gaara sat back and closed his eyes; he hadn't a problem with that in spite of how it sounded. Yagura however, seemed a little annoyed with it. However he too remained silent, he really wasn't up for debates about standard.

"So how do you want to go about this?" Kisame asked, looking to Itachi with a raised brow. Itachi put off his reply as the waiter returned with their fresh drinks, gave another bow of apology, and left again.

"We don't want to discourage other business even if our mission is simple." he said, watching the staff of the café carefully, "We'll do some reconnaissance first, find out who it is our targets have protecting them."

"Aah…" Kisame exhaled, with a bored look. Gaara was well aware of his sensei's dislike of such things, it was usually left to _him_ to scout and prepare for missions. Then again, between him, Kisame and Naruto, he was the only one who could really move around unnoticed, a scary notion in itself.

He turned slightly in his chair, resting his arm across the back as he looked out into the square behind him. He had heard a sound that had attracted his attention, like metal hitting metal. Soon the source became clear, as a group of men appeared through one of the smaller streets leading out of the square. There were five of them, each wearing strange armour of the likes Gaara was unfamiliar with.

They wore iron greaves and gauntlets, while the rest of their bodies were covered in either black or beige fur. Each man had a muscular face, with hardened eyes and shaven heads. They also carried with them an assortment of weapons, a long sword, short sword, bow, quiver and a shield. To suit the necessary strength for these weapons, each man was considerable large and boasted impressive strength. If not for Kisame, they would be the most powerful looking people in the area. Speaking of that person, the swordsman watched the group with great interest.

"Heh, looks like they're jack-of-all-trades." he said, as they marched on past. Gaara noticed that Kisame was fingering the hilt of Samehada, a slight look of excitement on his face, "Those guys don't hold back, I always enjoy fighting them."

Yagura looked up from the table, frowning at Kisame curiously. He had thought he'd misheard what had been said, but the expression of the swordsman only confirmed it, "What chance do mercs stand against Shinobi?"

"Heh, you don't wanna make the mistake of thinking like that." Kisame replied, removing his hand from his blade as the group disappeared to the distance, "It'll hurt, believe me."

"As you know, chakra is formed between the combination of physical and mental energy." Itachi said, deciding to offer better explanation than his partner, "There are people out here who learn only one aspect, but they can master it to a higher level than Shinobi."

"Heh, remember that guy who ran straight through your Gokakyu?" Kisame asked, looking to Itachi with a grin. Itachi gave a nod in reply, his eyes distancing as he thought back. Kisame looked to Gaara and Yagura, both of whom seemed more than a little confused, "First time Itachi-san ever left the five nations, he made the mistake of thinking Shinobi were stronger because of chakra. If he hadn't been using his Sharingan, he wouldn't be sitting here right now."

"You're Uchiha?" Yagura suddenly asked, unable to contain his thoughts. He looked straight at Itachi with a shocked expression; he had heard only rumours of that legendary clan. He hadn't imagined though that he would meet one.

If he had been expecting a reply, he was disappointed. All Itachi gave him was a slight glance, before taking another sip from his tea. After several moments of silence, Yagura decided to let the subject go for now. He rested his arms on the table and slumped his head, allowing silence to fall once more. He was feeling pretty tired, an hoped to get a little rest before they moved on. But for some reason, he couldn't shake this bad feeling in his gut.

* * * * *

"_Doesn't waste any time, does he?"_

Eko was right, even Naruto was surprised at how fast Kakuzu was working. The two of them had split up almost as soon as they left Okamoto's home to search for information. They had both spent a couple of hours searching, and had rejoined later to conclude their results. Both of them stood in an alley between buildings, leaning against the wall as they watched the passers-by in the street. It was getting late and everyone was heading home. Apparently night life wasn't something to get thrilled about around here.

"They must be pretty confident in their guard." Kakuzu continued, his arms crossed as he watched the hurrying civilians. Naruto stood with his arms behind his head, his legs aching from all the running around, "There's also a meeting going on in the west too."

"I found out about a trade off in the northeast." Naruto said, with a tired, yet troubled expression. From what he had seen, this trade off was going to be quite a large one. Compared with what Kakuzu was saying, tonight was a busy night for the Takagi family. That either meant the organisations of Kage no Kuni weren't as impressive as they sounded, or someone was in a hurry, "Think they're expecting something?"

"Looks like it." Kakuzu replied, before straightening up. He looked to Naruto, who had made the same motion and stood away from the wall, "According to Okamoto-san he is prepared to make his move once we take care of the guards. I'd say to make our move right away, but with that third meeting we're presented with a problem."

Naruto nodded in agreement, he too had no idea what to do for that situation. Well, that wasn't quite the truth. There was one idea he had, but he tried not to think about it. If only they had one more person, like Gaara or Kisame, but…

He let out a sigh; he couldn't see any other choice. He couldn't even leave this to Kage Bunshin, not on the off chance they were destroyed. As much as he hated it, it needed to be done, "I got an idea, but I'll need a minute."

"What are you thinking?" Kakuzu asked, his eyes rising as Naruto leapt up to the roof of the buildings. He followed the boy up there, watching as Naruto removed his blade from his back and rested it on the floor in front of him. He then reached behind him into his pouch, pulling out a rather chunky looking brown linen package.

"_You're going with _that?!_"_

"Hold on." Naruto said, as he raised his fingers to his lips. He then let out a sharp, high pitched whistle that rang through the air, before ending just as deftly as it started. He made no signs of acknowledgement as Akira and the others appeared from the distance, leaping up and running towards them. He instead opened the package on top of the giant blade, revealing six thin scrolls to be contained inside.

The dogs each noticed the scrolls and gathered around, knowing what this meant. They all stood obediently as Naruto moved to each of them, fitting the scrolls onto their collars and pulling them open. Once every dog had an open scroll, he then bit through his thumb and began running through hand seals, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Kakuzu frowned as a large puff of smoke suddenly obscured the boy and the six large dogs. The fog spread over the building and fell down the sides, startling passers-by in the process. He glanced off as he noticed this, it was a commotion they didn't exactly need. It was too late now, he just waited and hoped the result was worthwhile.

As it turned out, it was. When the cloud thinned out to nothing, Kakuzu was treated to quite a peculiar sight. Each of the six dogs, all of whom had appeared as they were, now wore a light armour over their entire bodies. Black plates covered their legs, heads and bodies, made of some sort of material that reflected next to no light. Each plate of armour held a long and thin blade across it, each pointing in the same direction. The helmets they wore covered only top half of their heads, leaving their mouths able to open as freely as ever. The only area left unprotected was the tail, the rest obscured either by the armour or the thin material in between.

Naruto straightened up, taking Eko in hand once again. He moved towards Akira, the only one of the six not to bear a blade on his back. It was on him, that Naruto placed Eko down, the giant sword immediately attaching itself to the body of the dog. Once this was taken care of, Naruto stepped around to Akira's front and pet the dog lightly under its chin. He then raised his eyes to Kakuzu, giving the older Shinobi a determined look, "These guys will take the west, and I'll take the northwest."

"Are you sure they can handle it?" Kakuzu asked, with an uncertain yet impressed look. He had no reason to show confidence in the dogs, they had revealed little more than animalistic rage when they backed him up earlier.

"With the Ekokaeten, I'll be able to give them orders." Naruto replied, with the pre-arranged lie Kisame had him prepare. In actual fact it would be Eko giving the orders. For whatever reason, Eko could communicate with any living thing in exactly the same way he would Naruto, a fact that had proved invaluable in the training of the dogs. Now, there was an even greater use for it, "The only way these guys will get spotted is if there's no cover, they'll do just fine."

"If you're certain." Kakuzu replied, deciding if they failed it was no real loss to him. At the very least they could act as a distraction, "Then I'll take the northeast."

Naruto nodded in agreement, before giving a signal to the dogs. Within seconds the rooftop was empty, only flitting images off to the distance remained. Naruto jumped from building to building, moving even faster than normal without Eko weighing him down. He was still a little troubled about sending those guys out like that, but it really had been the only safe choice. And with Eko there, even if something did go wrong he would find out quickly and be able to act accordingly.

"_Damn it!" _he thought, as he leapt across a street. Even though he was sure of their success, he couldn't help but want to get his part over and done with as quickly as possible.

* * * * *

He pressed his back against the wall, listening for the slightest whisper of sound that may have been present at the time. But nothing reached his ears that could suggest anything other than what he expected. He stood on a ledge high above the ground, just outside the window of a large steel warehouse. He peeked inside the filth encrusted glass panes, doing what he could to see what was going on. Far below, among the sand and crates that filled the desolate place, a small group of people had gathered and where conversing heatedly. The group seemed to be divided on two sides, one consisting of the weasels and rats of the town, the other were a bunch of nameless suits guarded by katana wielding would be samurai.

Naruto scanned the samurai curiously, where they the guard that had been killing Okamoto's men? That didn't seem likely, aside from being made presentable for their employers, those two appeared just like anyone else from the town. It seemed much more likely that they were a ruse, and so Naruto disregarded them for the moment.

He silently climbed the corrugated wall to the slated roof, doing everything he could to keep his presence unknown. He carefully walked across the vast, empty surface of the huge warehouse, looking for a skylight to get a better view. He found one about twenty yards away, though it was even dirtier than the window he'd looked in before. He crouched down next to it and wiped some of the filth away with his hand, but it didn't do much good. So instead he pressed his palm onto the surface of the glass and raised his other in a single seal. Then, keeping the seal in place, he ran the tip of his fingers in a wide circle around his palm. With both Futon and regular chakra, he managed to remove a large section of the glass and place it to the side unnoticed, and from there he gained a better view to what was going on down below.

"_Don't know how many they've got with them _or _how strong they are." _he thought, as he lowered his face to the hole. He could hear very little of the meeting, he was much too high up for that. And his view wasn't the best either, though he could clearly see the transaction, he couldn't see anything of value. It almost sounded like-

Wait. What was _that_? Naruto's brow creased in confusion, there was a quiet sound filling the air like none he was familiar with. A constant series of clicks, like someone winding up a toy or something. He knew of nothing that made such a noise though, nothing that would belong in a place like this. But what he did know, is that it was steadily growing louder and louder, until-

"_SHIT!" _he thought, suddenly rolling aside. Not even a moment later, the skylight shattered as something threw itself through the glass and up into the sky. Naruto fixed his eyes upon the strange something, a form hidden in a grey ragged cloak, _"What the hell is that?!"_

His distracted thoughts nearly killed him. If not for the shadow appearing from on the roof just at the corner of his eye, he would have been crushed from an attack from behind. Dodging to his right, he managed to turn around just in time to see a small person slam what appeared to be a black metal beam onto the spot he had just been. He wasn't allowed time to study the person however, as the thing that had forced its way through the glass turned on him. Naruto's eyes widened in shock, was that a person floating in the air?!

Before he had time to give further study though, he was forced to dodge back again as from nowhere, a barrage of senbon flew his way. He rolled back on the slates, reaching for Eko only to remember that the blade wasn't here. That meant he would need to take other options. He raised his hands together, forming the cross seal he knew he'd need, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Immediately going on the offensive, he and his two clones rushed the pair with kunai brandished in both hands. Naruto headed for the one with the beam while the two clones took on the strange one in the air. As he ducked under a swift swing of the beam, Naruto slowly came to notice some things about his opponent, like first of all she was a woman. After dodging the follow up kick by jumping back, he also came to realise she couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than him. However, that was as far as he got as to his great shock, he was hit with a sudden blast of wind.

"_Futon Jutsu?!" _he thought, as he was thrown back by the incredible force. Almost reacting too late, he threw his hand up high and struck out some wind of his own and pushing himself back onto the roof before he was sent flying to a very dangerous drop. He gripped the surface tight, before pushing himself to a dash back towards the two enemies. As the other side came back into view however, he realised that there were now _three_ opponents. He stalled for a minute while the enemy were engaged with the two Kage Bunshin, taking note of them while he could.

They were a man and a woman, both just older than him. One was dressed in a black hooded sweater and slacks while the other adorned a blue satin kimono. The man was waving his hands wildly in the air, though doing nothing that Naruto could see. However, as he moved he could see that strange looking person in the air move accordingly.

"_Wait a minute!"_ Naruto thought, as he suddenly recalled something. He remembered one time speaking to Gaara about Sunagakure, and learning a little something about this, _"This is… uh… Kugutsu no Jutsu!"_

"WAIT A MINUTE!" the man suddenly yelled, throwing his hand out to stop the woman. Both the enemy and the Kage Bunshin stalled at the man's cry, watching his agitated face as he glared through thick, brown hair. He looked to the woman beside him, locking eyes with her, "You recognise this guy?"

The woman frowned at the man, before looking to the Kage Bunshin again. She squinted her eyes, leaning forward as she studied the faces. Then she sharply drew her head back, her four blond pigtails bouncing as she gasped sharply, "It's him!"

"You know me?" Naruto asked, stepping back into view. The man and the woman turned their heads to him, their eyes wide with shock. The man gave Naruto a full on glare, baring his teeth and giving a low growl.

"Where is he?" the man demanded, as the puppet beside him began shaking violently. The woman took a step to her right, facing Naruto with an equally angry look. The man seemed unwilling to wait for a response, and threw his hands forward, "WHERE'S GAARA?!"


	14. Scattered sand in a bitter wind

Wow, it's been a while since I came out with a chapter this long. Guess I couldn't resist, but I think this one isn't too bad. Then again, if I thought otherwise I'd probably be reluctant to post it. In any case, I don't want to say too much. So here it is.

Disclaimer: Any guesses to who was there to make Madara look so mad? Heh, shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

* * *

**Scattered sand in a bitter wind**

"WHERE'S GAARA?!" the man yelled, throwing his arms forward. In response, the puppet he was using flew at Naruto, its three eyes locking onto him as its thin wooden limbs spread wide. The woman used this opportunity to open up her giant weapon, which to Naruto's surprise turned out to be an oversized fan, and take out the Kage Bunshin with a blast of wind. The real Naruto dodged back as the puppet lunged at him, diving his hands into his sleeves. When he pulled them back out, he gripped a pair of kunai piercing explosive tags. He hurled them both at the puppet, before forming the same seal he had used just moments before.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called again, summoning three clones just as the explosion resounded. The group of Naruto's then split up in every direction, surrounding the opponent in a perfect square. The woman and the man pressed their backs against each other, watching warily as they kept their eyes on their opponents. The puppet had been pulled back in time and was undamaged by the explosion.

"Kankuro…" the woman whispered, turning her head ever so slightly. The man known as Kankuro gave a slight nod, before lashing out with his hands again. The ragged doll he controlled raised itself high into the air and turned its head down to the two, its mouth snapping open. Then came a hissing sound as a poisonous mist burst from its mouth and down to the pair below, hiding them in a thick cloud.

Naruto was well aware of this diversion; he had used it himself during his battle with Zabuza not too long ago. And so he sent his Kage Bunshin in, each of them channelling their chakra to their hands. In seconds, the cloud was destroyed by the powerful burst of wind, blown away in the ensuing gust. However, what was left was far from what Naruto expected. Where the man called Kankuro and the woman had stood, there was now a large wooden behemoth; a new puppet by the look of things. It seemed like an image of a large reptile, bearing a thick tail that curled around and a powerful set of jaws. Its back was snapped up, providing a wall between the Narutos and presumably their opponents.

"Go Temari!" he heard Kankuro call. In a sudden flicker, the woman darted up past the wall of the lizard-like puppet and appeared high in the air. She whipped out her fan, the three purple circles on it in full view up until she swung.

"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" she cried, bringing her fan around with great force. Naruto could see the almost invisible blades of wind, and could predict the results fairly accurately. One thing he knew was that there was no way he was sitting still to get hit by it. He leapt back, but came to a stop just at the edge of the roof. Glancing back, he spotted the group that had been meeting hurrying away; the would-be-samurai guarding the suits had their blades at the ready. He quickly turned his attention away from this however, as the first puppet swooped in to attack. He let himself fall back and with his chakra he ran across the wall. He made his way around the corner of the building, before leaping back up and attacking. His hands were thrown together into a series of seals, ending with a deep inhale.

"_Maybe they know this one?"_ he thought with a smirk, raising both his hands high above him in the serpent seal. Then, at the top of his voice, he cried out, "FUTON: RENKUDAN!"

Slamming his hands into his stomach, he forced all of the air out of his lungs in a single, massive shot. A missile of wind fired out from his mouth and charged straight for the point Temari and that large puppet were standing. They both leapt up out of the way, but the incredible force of Naruto's Jutsu broke straight through the thing roof of the building and caused it to cave in, giving them nothing to land on.

Naruto followed them in their descent, channelling his chakra as quickly as he could. He managed to change his position so he was falling faster than Temari, whose aerodynamics were hindered by her fan. He pushed through another series of seals, before running his right hand over his left arm, _"If it's just for a second, I can get away with it right?"_

The wind quickly formed around his arm, creating the violent cyclone of the Jutsu Kisame had named forbidden. Naruto kept his eyes on the falling Temari at all times, watching her worried expression as she watched him fearfully. In moments he was upon her, throwing his lethal arm forward, "KAZE-"

He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in shock. He hadn't caught it before, but now he could see it clearly. Tiny pieces of dust and debris were passing through Temari like she was nothing, _like she was a Bunshin._

"_Shit!"_ he thought, quickly cancelling his Jutsu. He turned around in the air just in time to see Temari's fan float overhead, with both her and Kankuro looking over it with confident smirks. The latter gave a wave of his hand, but Naruto could tell it was more than a goading movement. He snapped his elbow back into the face of the puppet behind him, cracking the wood and causing it to shatter.

That was his mistake. The puppet, unaffected by the attack, wrapped its thin arms and legs around Naruto's body. Six limbs bound him tight to the puppet's chest, pinning his arms to his side as the puppet then began to move rapidly downwards.

"_Damn it!" _Naruto thought, as the puppet turned in the air. From the angle they were falling, striking the ground would mean a pretty serious blow to the head, something he definitely couldn't afford. It was troubling, since he couldn't gather the necessary momentum to use the Reppusho and he had already lost the means of using the failed Jutsu from a moment ago. That meant he had only one option, but he would need to act fast. Channelling chakra to his feet, he watched one of the steel cargo containers down below, _"Come on… come on!"_

Just in time he managed to kick off the side of the container and turn in the air, slamming on the puppet's back. He felt the wood crack again, but nothing much more happened as the grip remained as tight as ever. He began to struggle for a way out, for some reason all the cover provided by the caved in roof seemed a very homey place right now. But he spotted the fan appear from behind one of the stacks of crates, and knew he'd lost the chance. However, at the same time he couldn't deny another opportunity.

With some difficulty, he raised himself onto one knee just as his two opponents landed on the ground. Temari took her fan and closed it, a cool and confident look on her face. Naruto had to resist laughing at the certainty he could see in the eyes of those two, it made him shiver trying not to.

"Strong, but stupid." Temari muttered, as Kankuro stood beside her. The slight appearance of enjoyment she had disappeared, as once more she glared at the kneeling boy, "Now you're going to answer our questions!"

"Man, is that it?" Naruto asked, with a slight look of disappointment. That seemed to catch the two off guard, neither seemed to understand what he was saying. He let out a weak sigh as he bowed his head, shaking it in light exasperation, "Just skip the foreplay and get to the point, that's pretty boring."

He was suddenly taken by surprise however as he felt something make contact with his face. It wasn't until he was thrown aside and sent stumbling across the floor that he realised Temari had given him a sharp kick. He now lay on his side, looking at the two with an aching neck and look of annoyance. However, it didn't last long as he felt a shard of metal but into his hand. He cracked his neck to the left with a wincing expression, looking at Temari with a cocked brow.

"We can make this painful if you like." she offered, her expression failing to match her words. She stood with her leg still in the air, her foot pointing at Naruto almost threateningly.

"Y'know I can see your panties right?" Naruto asked, with an unthreatened look. Temari's face suddenly brightened as she spluttered, hastily straightening up. Though in truth Naruto was a little embarrassed too, he was fortunate enough to have the fact hidden behind the dirt on his cheeks.

"Enough screwing around!" Kankuro exclaimed, lunging down at Naruto and hauling him to his feet. He gripped the haori tight and slammed Naruto into one of the containers, making the blond grunt as pieces of broken wood jammed into his back, "Where's Gaara?!"

Wincing from the pain in his back, Naruto hung his head. He could see these two had no intention of going easy on him just because he knew something they needed. That was good, he was glad of that. He'd have hated it if they were holding back for that reason, _"Still… wish _I_ could say the same."_

"We're not going to ask you again!" Temari snapped, gripping her fan threateningly. Naruto cocked a brow at her, hadn't they asked him a few times already? He decided not to make things too difficult however; he did need to get out of this mess after all.

"What're you guys looking for him for anyway?" he asked, with a dark look. Neither of the two in front of him were the least bit intimidated by his expression, but they did pause as he spoke, "From what he told me, Suna was just itching to get rid of- HOOAH!"

He exhaled all the air from his lungs as Kankuro's fist was thrusted into his stomach. Kankuro held his head next to Naruto's teeth clenched in anger, "It's our mission to get him back, both as Suna Shinobi and his elder siblings!"

Naruto's brow creased in shock as he raised his head to look Kankuro in the eye. Elder siblings? Had he heard right?

"What?" he breathed, giving an incredulous look. He turned his eyes to Temari, judging between her and Kankuro's expression it was definitely true. But it was something he had far from expected. However after a moment's thought he recalled something else Gaara had told him, and suddenly he couldn't contain himself.

He bowed his head, shoulders shaking as he suddenly began laughing heavily. Kankuro glanced back at Temari cautiously, neither knew how to take this reaction. They both looked at Naruto like he was out of his mind, yet neither dropped his guard for a second. He looked up again, his eyes welling up slightly as he grinned broadly.

"So then… _you're _"that idiot doll-user"?" he asked, before hanging his head again. Kankuro's eyes just about popped out of his head as he was hit with a sudden desire to kill. He raised his fist menacingly, and was about to smash Naruto in the face when Temari suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Wait." she said, her eyes fixed on Naruto as she frowned at him. The boy's laughter soon subsided and he gazed at her, a questioning look on his face, "Look at that."

Kankuro lowered his eyes to the place she was pointing to, his brow creasing in confusion and bewilderment. Naruto looked down too, but the place they were looking at was out of sight for him due to the puppet's arms. Judging by the looks on their faces, and the general area, it could be one of two things. And as far as he could tell from where he was, only _one _of those things was on display… he hoped.

"What _is _that?!" Kankuro asked, looking to his sister with a creased brow. However it was Naruto who decided to reply, he was ready anyway. He let out a faint chuckle that attracted the attention of the two siblings, who still wore incredulous looks.

"I'm stupid huh?" he asked, as a puff of smoke appeared. Before either of the Suna nin could react, Naruto's hand gripped Kankuro's throat. He didn't give a tight grasp however, but used just enough Futon chakra to give the man in front of him a cut of warning. Temari saw the trickle of blood on her brother's neck and realised the situation, and so she remained still too. Behind Naruto, the smoke dissipated and revealed the puppet to be gone. All that remained as a seal marked with Naruto's own blood drawn onto the container he had been pressed against.

"Bastard!" Kankuro grunted, wincing from the pain in his neck. Naruto kept his head down, his fringe hiding his eyes from view. Temari watched the two carefully, trying desperately to find a way out of this situation.

"See… here's the thing." Naruto said, his grip tightening slightly. Kankuro let his hands drop to his side, he knew trying to resist would be dangerous, "I've been a little… _curious_ about something."

* * * * *

"Hnn…"

Strange… hard… wooden? Was he… lying on the floor? What was he doing there? It was dark, wasn't it? Had he been sleeping then? That made sense, he certainly felt like he could just drift off again. But that wouldn't do, he was in the middle of-

"Hah!" Utakata gasped, suddenly snapping up to a sitting position. His breath was heavy and his eyes were wide, he still hadn't quite woken up yet. But after a few seconds of collecting himself, he started to recall. He remembered being down in a dark room, before the statue of an old man. And he remembered Hidan, who…

He placed his hand on his stomach, lowering his eyes as he looked for what he hoped wasn't there. But to his surprise, what _was_ there wasn't a gaping wound, but a thick layer of bandages. He lightly ran his hands over them, before realising to his shock that one of the hands wasn't his own.

"You shouldn't be moving."

Utakata looked to his right, his brow rising at the person next to him. For a horrified second, he had thought it was Hidan who possessed that delicate hand, but he was met with an immense feeling of relief as he realised it wasn't. but who it was, it took him a while to realise. Her skin was pale and soft, and her hair long and dark. She looked Utakata in the eye, with the sharpness of someone much exceeding her young age. For some reason, he felt more like he was being observed rather than cared for. Nonetheless, he settled his eyes on her dark brown ones, allowing her to look for whatever it was she sought.

"Your wound will open." she said, in a soft but stern voice. Utakata felt her hand press on his shoulder and he allowed himself to be laid back down. It wasn't until then that he realised he was no longer in the tunnels below, but inside one of the buildings of the shrine grounds. He lay on the hard floor, a blanket covering his body and keeping him warm. The woman knelt beside him, her eyes still on his even now. From here, he could see the white kimono and red hakama of a shrine maiden.

"_So then you're that woman from before?"_ he thought, settling his eyes back on hers. He lay there for several moments, before thoughts of his partner cam back to him. He glanced around, but there was no sign of the Jashinist anywhere, "Um… where is…?"

"Have no worry, I have slain him." the maiden replied, with a look that didn't offer comfort, or anything else. Utakata glanced back to her, so she didn't know then? That could be troublesome, he wasn't sure just how Hidan would take being "slain". His bet was that the Jashinist would be pretty mad, "Your problems are much greater than that."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?" Utakata asked, with a look of confusion. But then he got another brief flicker of memory, one that had escaped him before.

"_Let me give you a choice then."_

His eyes widened as he recalled those words, followed by the pain that had fired through his gut. He remembered landing on the cold stone floor, that light… but that was all.

"What did he do to me?" he whispered, words that were intended only for himself. But the priestess took them as directed at her, and placed her hand on the wound again.

"You have been marked with something dark and evil." she explained, running her fingers across the white gauze. Utakata watched the ever so slightly troubled look on her face, and couldn't help but feel worried from it, "It is inside you, a darkness that is growing. And- AH!"

She suddenly drew her hand back, looking at her fingers as if she'd just been burned. Utakata looked at her hand with a cocked brow, taking a moment to realise what had happened. With a faint and insincere chuckle, he sat up once again.

"Yeah…" he murmured, resting his arm on his knee. He looked over at the doorway ahead of him, his eyes distant and sad, "There's a lot of darkness inside me."

"What… what _was_ that?" the priestess asked, as Utakata raised himself to his feet. The Jinchuriki looked down at the maiden with a faint smile, both grateful and sorrowful at the same time.

"Maybe it's better that you think me as a demon." he said, in a small voice. He then turned his head, making his way slowly to the door, "Thank you, but I won't defile your grounds any longer."

The priestess stood up as Utakata left through the door, hurrying to follow him. She seemed unwilling to let him leave just like that, but at the same time made no direct move to stop him. Utakata could clearly see her uncertainty, it made him smile again. It looked like his suggestion was sticking in her head, just like he had expected it to.

"Wait, you-" the priestess began, but she was cut off by an incredibly loud yell.

"HUN OF A HISH!"

Both Utakata and the priestess whipped their eyes towards the shrine, the former raising his brow while the latter looked in horror. Hidan slowly dragged himself out from the shadows, one hand on his reformed scythe and the other on what looked like a bloody arrow.

"Im- impossible!" the priestess breathed, taking a step back as her hands raised to her mouth. The Jashinist glared at her hatefully, slowly pulling himself towards them. Utakata could tell from a glance what had happened, it looked like whatever poison had been on the arrow had acted only to numb Hidan's body. As such he was having difficulty moving at all, a point which probably added to his anger, "What _is_ he?!"

"Don't worry about him." Utakata replied, rubbing his neck wearily. The Jashinist continued to curse loudly and claw his way towards them in his militant rage, but his position made him appear not quite so terrifying. Granted, there was something scary about an enraged body dragging its way from the shadows, but his limp expression made him seem much more of a drunkard than anything else, "I'll take him and leave you in peace."

The priestess watched warily as Utakata left her and made his way towards the swearing immortal. He reached Hidan and helped him to his feet, ignoring the protests that came along with it. He then gave a wave to the maiden, before turning around and leading Hidan to the trees. The priestess watched as they left, a sad and worried look in her once cold eyes.

* * * * *

"What I wanna know is…" Naruto muttered, his jaw tightening in anger and his teeth clenching, "With you two calling yourself his siblings, how is it… that he turned out… LIKE THAT?!"

Kankuro suddenly whipped his arm around, and before Naruto could react he was struck hard by the tail of the large puppet from before. He was sent flying through the air, striking one of the cargo containers so hard he left an indent in it. Kankuro stumbled slightly from the attack, grabbing his throat as he winced in pain. Naruto fell onto his feet, his face pointing to the ground as he stood limply.

"I won't forgive you…" he breathed, the dust around his feet suddenly scattering in every direction. Kankuro and Temari both stood at the ready, the former with his puppet and the latter with her fan. But neither were truly prepared as Naruto slowly looked at them, his blazing eyes releasing a wave of killer intent, "Right now… in this very moment… there's no one I want to kill more than you."

"You're…" Temari breathed, her eyes widening as she felt a cold sweat coming on. Her brother shared that expression, though there was still some anger in his eyes, "You're… like _him_?"

Naruto glared at Temari, looking deep into her eyes. He could read her entire expression, and see the fear she had. She was easy to read like this, _so_ easy. But at the same time, something felt wrong. Why did she also look sad too?

"Enough of this!" Kankuro cried, throwing his hands in front of him. His large puppet turned its head to face Naruto, and its powerful jaws opened wide. Inside its mouth there was a metal tube, which suddenly burst out a cloud of smoke as a black sphere rocketed straight for Naruto, a fuse on the end hissing angrily.

The explosion resounded, but it was too little too late. Naruto had already disappeared, sprinting off to the pieces of wreckage all around. He ran up a large piece of corrugated steel and leapt high into the air, both Temari and Kankuro barely able to follow him as he moved.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, creating three clones behind him. Temari reacted as quickly as she could, whipping her fan around and sending the several blades of wind straight for the Naruto's. But the four identical ninja threw their hands up high, using their own wind to knock them out of the path.

They disappeared once more, leaving Temari and Kankuro to do their best to defend. However, just as Temari pulled her fan back, Naruto appeared below her. He rose up fast, slashing across the surface of her fan with his clawed nails. The paper tore apart instantly, and her weapon was rendered useless. Left stunned by the sudden attack, she was defenceless as Naruto returned the kick she had given him not two minutes ago. She flew through the air and hit a rusting beam hard, feeling a couple of ribs cracking in the process.

"Gah!" she cried, her eyes snapping open as she fell back down to the ground. She struck the dirt hard, clinging to her sides with her broken fan discarded. She lay curled in a ball, unable to think from the pain.

"TEMARI!" Kankuro called, hopping behind the defensive wall of his puppet. It proved to be a foolish mistake however, because instead of defending him, it was used as a place to hold him against as one of the Kage Bunshin appeared behind him. Then the other two showed up, grabbing his hands from either side.

The real Naruto straightened up, ignoring the pained cry as Kankuro's wrists were snapped. He looked over to Temari, who had her eyes fixed on him, wincing from her own injury. He looked at her single open eye, and was made even angrier. Why the hell did she still look like that?!

"_Damn it…"_ he thought, dropping his gaze to the space between his feet. The look that she gave him made him stop and think, and in that moment he decided on what he had to do. He glanced over to the Kage Bunshin, each of whom were still gripping Kankuro tight. They looked at him and nodded, their red eyes fading to blue as they dropped their target onto his puppet. They moved over to Temari and picked her up, ignoring her groans of pain as they placed her down beside her brother. Then they disappeared, leaving the two wounded ninja to look at the original who walked towards them.

"Don't bother." Naruto said, slowly reaching behind him. They both saw that his eyes had also reverted, yet neither were comforted by this in the least. They were surprised however, when he pulled out a scroll on tossed it to them, "Your puppet's in there."

"What d'you think you're doing?" Kankuro demanded, wincing as he pushed himself to a sitting position. Temari raised her head as high as she could, her teeth clenched as she tried to maintain her composure. He watched as Naruto turned away, making to leave, "I though you wanted to kill us!"

"Tch." Naruto grunted, coming to a stop. It was true, thinking about it still made him mad as hell, but at the same time he knew what he needed to do. He took a deep breath, raising his head to the fading sunlight. He took a few moments of silence, before replying, "If I did that, I wouldn't be able to face Gaara again."

Temari and Kankuro both stopped their mild movements, their brows creasing as they frowned at Naruto in confusion. Temari made to sit up, and was assisted by Kankuro who she chose to lean on. She held a hand across her stomach while the other supported her. Then, with a shaky voice, she spoke, "What do you mean?"

Once more Naruto took a pause, slowly looking back at the pair behind him. Neither were in any condition to fight, Temari could hardly move while Kankuro lost his means for using his forte. From a glance they were no threat to him, but that didn't make him lower his defences. If anything else, he felt _nervous_, though he couldn't explain why.

"Gaara… isn't done with you." he said, finding himself unable to make eye contact. He looked ahead again, clenching and unclenching his fists, "He told me that there were some people back in Suna, people that were holding him down."

He then fell silent, dropping his head to the floor. Temari and Kankuro continued to watch him, unsure of what to say or how to take what they had been told. But then he began to walk away, and it seemed the chance had left them.

"You can use the blood to track me if you want." he said, as he slowly got further away, "But if you jump me, or any of my comrades, you'll probably die."

And with that he disappeared amongst the rubble, vanishing from sight completely. Temari and Kankuro watched the spot where he had been, their eyes wide and their brows creased as they gaped slightly. Just what who _was_ that person?

* * * * *

"So that's how it is huh?" Utakata asked, sitting back from the campfire and resting his head against the tree behind him. Not far from him sat Hidan, who looked oddly self satisfied for a person affected by a poison as such.

"Yep." Hidan replied, the shadows and firelight recreating the image Utakata remembered before he passed out, the black and white face. He still spoke with a slight slur, and movement was a little strange for him, "S' long as you keep sacrificing for Jashin-sama, no one's gonna be able to kill ya. Ya don't have to thank me, just consider my debt cleared."

"Thank you?" Utakata replied, with a cocked brow. He let out a long, harrowing sigh as he reached into his kimono, "Immortality…"

"Sounds pretty sweet huh?" Hidan asked, with a weak but full grin. He seemed to have his own perception of what Utakata's reaction was, and didn't seem to acknowledge the atmosphere in the slightest. But he did raise a brow as Utakata pulled a phial out from the folds of his clothing, and rose it to the light to study the red liquid inside, "What's that?"

"Hm?" Utakata glanced at Hidan questioningly, cupping the phial in his hands before smiling to the Jashinist, "Here, it should help get rid of the poison."

Despite his confusion, Hidan accepted the phial silently. He gave it a look himself, but his knowledge of herbs and such were nonexistent. It could have been rusty water for all he knew. Still, what doesn't kill you right?

Hidan chuckled faintly at his private joke, flicking the cork out of the phial and throwing the contents into his mouth without another thought. He frowned slightly, swallowing the solution hard. Then, after several moments, he looked at the phial with a startled expression, before dropping it and grabbing his throat.

"Oh, I should've warned you." Utakata said, his eyes losing quite a bit of the previous innocence, "It tends to cause some pretty strong acid reflux. Still, you'll live right?"

"FU- FUH-" Hidan gasped, as he fell onto his side. Saliva spilled out of his mouth and onto the earthy ground. After several moments of grasping at his own throat, his eyes rolled back into his skull and he began spasming out of control.

Once more Utakata sighed, though this time it was much more content. He rose to his feet and wandered off at a leisurely pace. He had no particular desire to be anywhere in the vicinity when the _other _side effects kicked in.

"UTAKATA!" Hidan yelled, gaining enough control to cry out, "I'LL KILL YOU BASTARD!"

"How?" was Utakata's simple question. With that, he disappeared into the shadows with a cruel smirk on his face.


	15. The mission continues

WAH! Big announcement; 4am, sleepy. Zzz... uh... I kinda forget what I wrote in this chapter, it's been a long day. Quite a lot of you accepted my beta offer a while back, so I'm pretty busy now. Still, a lot of you have surprisingly good ideas, and I'm letting myself get... zzz... sidetracked. ok, I sleep now.

Disclaimer: Ok, I just need to clarify something with you all. Is it just me, or is Fukasaku really Yoda in disguise? I SWEAR, THEY'RE THE SAME PER-zzz...

* * *

**The mission continues**

The compound was quiet that night, almost complete silence prevailed all around. The starry sky shone brightly up above, while streetlamps kept the present plane in view. There wasn't a hint of a breeze, and the only smell was of the disinfectant used to clean up at the end of the day. The compound was almost empty of all life, but not quite.

Yagura peered around the corner of the stone wall, looking into the courtyard with a cautious stance. A mere fifty yards away, two of the four targets stood in heated conversation. Both of them were middle aged men in suits, one a short and stumpy person with dyed black hair and the other a lean man with a grey toupee and square glasses. Surrounding them was a small brigade of mercenaries not unlike the ones they had noticed earlier.

From what he had learned, the four more muscular looking ones belonged to the lean man, obviously the one of higher ranking. The other man however had three weaker looking guards, though they still looked threatening by any means.

Yagura glanced past the group as something caught his eyes. Far ahead, down a street on the opposite side of the courtyard, he could _just_ make out Gaara looking around the corner. Their eyes met and they nodded, they would take on whoever came their way.

Whatever discussion the two businessmen were having soon came to a close as the older man waved away the stout man's words. He then gestured to his guard and the five of them turned away, heading straight towards Yagura. The boy looked around rapidly for a place to take cover, the street was fairly empty. In the end he decided to turn and leap up the wall, landing amongst the shadows of the ledge above. It was there that he waited patiently as the group steadily drew nearer, the clanking of the armour serving to alert him of their progress.

Eventually they came back into sight as they walked down the dark street to wherever the businessman desired. The guards looked more than a little bored, and even seemed a little edgy because of it. One of the mercs nudged his comrade in the arm, drawing the bigger man's attention.

"Why do we guard this person?" the merc asked, with a thick accent that Yagura didn't recognise. The merc adjusted the cloth wrapping around his head, a disgruntled expression on his face, "With so many of us, no one wants to try and kill him."

"Easy money." the other merc replied, looking down at his ally over his thick brown beard. The smaller merc let out an upset sigh, apparently he wasn't pleased by such words, "Someone will attack sooner or later, we just have to wait until then, ok?"

"_Sooner than you expected."_ Yagura thought, leaping high into the air. It seemed no one was expecting an attack at that very minute, and so now was the best time to do it. He raised his hands together and began forming seals, dragon, tiger, hare and ox, "Suiton: Violent Water Barrage!"

A stream of water fired out from his mouth, forming into countless small spheres that tore through the air straight for the opponent. The sphere's joined together and formed into six globules each the size of Yagura's head, and moving with the concussive force to break a horse's neck. The water struck the backs of the two conversing men and exploded, leaving a thick white mist in its place. Yagura landed on the ground before the mist could even settle, gripping his staff and pulling it around before he-

He froze, his eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. The water settled on the ground, but the effect was nothing like he'd imagined it would be. Neither of the targets he hit seemed to have moved in the slightest, both stood perfectly still with drenched backs. They slowly turned their heads, eyes locking with Yagura's, _"What?!"_

"Speak of a devil and he shall appear, eh?" asked the taller merc. The rest turned to face Yagura, not even the businessman seemed afraid of him. The same merc who spoke before jerked his head to the two in front, before speaking to their employer, "Go with them chief Matosatsu. We'll take care of this boy."

"See that you do." Matosatsu replied, giving Yagura a snide look before turning and walking away. The boy Shinobi watched as his target hurried off, and realised he would need to act fast if he was going to avoid a situation.

"_Looks like I'll need Genjutsu."_ he thought, taking his hand off his staff and forming more seals. He watched as the two mercs drew near him, the shadows casting on them mixing with their bulky appearance made them look more like behemoths than anything else. They gripped their long swords and began a steady charge towards Yagura, their speed increasing along with the pitch of their cries. Yagura finished his seals just in time, and called out quickly, "Kasumi Juusha no Jutsu!"

The two mercs came to a sudden stop, their brows creasing in confusion at what they saw. From between the cobblestone ground in every direction, a thick black ooze began to rise up and gather in large black mounds. Those mounds moved and fluctuated as they changed shape, slowly taking the form of the caster. In moments, there were more than a dozen Yaguras filling the street, each wielding their staff threateningly.

"How is he doing this?!" the shorter merc demanded, pressing his back against his comrade's. His small eyes darted amongst the amethyst spheres in every direction, Yagura's eyes had a sinister look that made him uncomfortable, "Is it sorcery?!"

"Nay brother." the taller replied, his brow creased but otherwise unimpressed. He gripped his sword tight in one hand, and took his shield in the other. He and the other warrior stood ready to take on the enemy, "This is what they call ninja arts!"

Yagura was nearly laughing at the primitive way these men reacted to his illusion. They both believed they were surrounded, when in actual fact there was only one of him there. That made things easier; after all, if what Itachi had said about them was true, then they hadn't the means for dispelling Genjutsu. In this case, it would be easy to just slip on by and catch up with his target once more.

"Our senses deceive us!" the shorter proclaimed, forcing Yagura to a stop before he had even begun. He stared incredulously at the two mercs, they had seen through it already?!

"Aye brother." confirmed the taller, smirking as he looked straight into the real Yagura's eyes, "There is only one with the will of a fighter in these masses."

Yagura cursed to himself as the two mercs turned on him suddenly, resuming their charge once more. What the hell did that mean, will of a fighter?! He needed to act fast; his Genjutsu was only slowing them down.

There was only one choice in a situation like this. He would need to take them on himself, and with something stronger than the C-rank Jutsu he'd hit them with before. He whipped out his staff and gripped it in both hands, wondering if Gaara was having this much trouble.

* * * * *

"I guess they decided it wasn't worth it." Naruto said, with a tired shrug. He slipped his hands behind his head and lay back on the floor of the very room Okamoto had debriefed them in. Just like before Kakuzu sat next to him, and was asking him about how things went on his end, "They weren't in your book, so I didn't bother killing them."

The door slid open and Naruto hastily snapped back up to a sitting position. He watched as Okamoto limped back into the room, regarding the two men before him with a secret smile. He sat down in the same place he had just a few hours ago, the expression on his face broadening once he was looking directly at them.

"I must say, I never imagined you would be so efficient." he said, gesturing to the open doorway. The girl who had served them tea walked in with what appeared to be a heavy black attaché case, "My men have succeeded and we have taken control of the Shinuso family's resources and soon their partners will come too. It's only a matter of time before we can spark some light back into this dried up town, and we have you to thank for it."

"Gratitude isn't the reward we seek." Kakuzu replied, showing no reaction to Okamoto's words. His eyes glanced to the attaché case, he had little need of imagination to work out what was inside, "One Jonin, two Genin and a B-class missing-nin. Combined with the initial fee and bonus for your rescue, the amount will come to twenty five million ryo."

"And of course there will be whatever you gain for _that_." Okamoto agreed, nodding towards the corpse that lay beside Kakuzu.

It was the body of the Jonin Kakuzu spoke of, another Suna nin with a white headdress covering half his face and red fang-like marking on his visible cheek. He wore a large and heavy flak jacket and slacks, stained in his own blood. The girl noticed him and hurriedly put down the case, bowing her way out of the room as she rushed off.

"I think this should more than cover the bill." Okamoto said, as Kakuzu pulled the case towards him an opened it up. Naruto glanced out of the corner of his eye, and his jaw nearly dropped from the sight. Money filled the case in neat stacks, like something out of a gangster story. Kakuzu even lifted one of the wads of bills out of the case and rifled through it, for whatever purpose that action served.

"This is fine." Kakuzu said, placing the wad back in its place. He then closed it firmly and pushed the case towards Naruto, giving the boy a dangerous look, "We'll drop this off with my banker on the way to the bounty station. Until then, _don't dare lose this._"

Naruto nodded, the look was enough to make him understand. He took the case and lifted it from the table, rising to his feet as Kakuzu did the same. The two of them bowed to Okamoto, their business now concluded. And so they left, Naruto with the case in his hand while Kakuzu carried the corpse over his shoulder.

* * * * *

_CRASH!_

Dust and brick exploded in a bone crunching blast as one of the mercenaries struck a wall with resounding force. He groaned in pain, his rear end embedded in the building behind him. The stonework crumbled as he pushed himself back out, gripping his large battleaxe tight as he glared at the massive person before him. He and his comrades surrounded their enemy, each wielding unusual and large weapons. Axes, balls and chains, polearms, and a large war hammer. These four men were armed with the sort of things Kisame rarely got to see, and therefore rarely fought against.

"You guys can take a hit!" he grinned, tapping the ground with Samehada. There were several places on his titanic weapon where the bandages had been torn, revealing what appeared to be midnight blue serrated scales creating the surface of his blade, "That's good, it's been a while since Samehada had some fun!"

"HAAAAA!!!" the mercs cried out, as they all rushed Kisame at the same time. The giant swordsman smirked as he rested Samehada on the ground and changed his grip, before swinging it around like a giant mace.

The merc with the hammer countered his attack with a heavy swing, but his wooden weapon had no comparison to one of the seven swords. The hammer shattered like it was made of water, and the owner was hit full in the chest by Kisame's weapon. If not for his armour, he would have been just like his hammer by now.

As he rolled aside, Kisame raised Samehada and defended against the polearm. The tip of the long spear struck Samehada, but this weapon was made to last. Instead of breaking, it recoiled back to the owner's side. This was used advantageously however, as the merc followed up with a much lower jab to Kisame's gut. Kisame was forced to dodge this as the other two mercs attacked from behind.

"I have him brothers!" yelled the previous owner of a massive hammer. He grabbed Kisame from behind and slipped his arms under the missing-nin's, restricting his movement and forcing his arms into the air. Kisame glanced back with a cocked brow, for such noticeable people that one had been very sneaky.

"_And yet _this_ is what he chose to do with that opportunity."_ Kisame thought, with a sigh. Deciding to show the merc the error of his ways, Kisame crouched down and leapt high into the air. The little mercenary called out in shock as they passed over the roofs of the buildings around them, and continued to ascend. Kisame's initially impressed reaction disappeared as he felt the merc's grip tighten. Was he getting vertigo from just being _this_ high?

"ARNI!" the other mercs called out, as they watched their comrade slam into the ground with Kisame on top of him. The paving cracked and shifted into a small crater from the force and collected weight of the large pile lying before them.

Kisame rose to his feet sharply, leaving a possibly unconscious, possibly dead Arni lying still where he'd landed. He then turned to the rest of the party, grinning broadly as he sat Samehada on his shoulder, "So, who wants revenge?"

* * * * *

Across town, in a location far away from the rest of the group, Itachi stood atop one of the many square roofs of the silent street. He slowly scanned the area as he turned on the spot, his red eyes searching for the slightest slither of movement. Out of the four targets they had been given, his was the only one who had not reacted to their ruse that led the others to the business compound. From that he could tell that the person either had no interest in meeting his fellow board members, or their trap had been seen through.

He raised his eyes to the full moon, watching as the orb soundlessly returned his gaze. The black sky was lit up with the countless stars, putting the entire vastness into view. Once more Itachi returned his eyes to the street, if only his destination was as clear as the sky was tonight.

"You make no effort to mask your evil presence."

Itachi took a few steps forward, standing on the edge of the rooftop as he looked down to the street below. There was a single man standing there, a monk by any means. His close shaven head rose to reveal narrow eyes as he looked up at Itachi, his white robes and violet sash making an odd combination of revealing and obscuring him in the shadowy street.

"_A monk?" _Itachi thought, looking at the man curiously. It looked like while the other board members had taken more direct means of protecting themselves, the one he was tasked with had chosen another method altogether. Though he didn't particularly like the idea of attacking a man of god, this person must have sold his services and therefore wasn't as pure as his title required, _"Very well then…"_

"Back, ignoble beast!" the monk cried, reaching into the folds of his robes. He whipped out what looked like a small bundle of paper seals, each written in lettering Itachi couldn't make out. The Uchiha slipped off the roof of the building and landed on the ground before the monk, "Sacred sutras!"

The monk threw several of the paper seals at Itachi, the surprisingly strong tags flying through the air like kunai. They slipped past Itachi and landed at his feet, but from here he could tell they were not explosive. Before he could react, the monk moved his hand to a single seal and cried out loudly.

In an instant a dark yellow light enshrouded Itachi, though seemed to have no other visible effect. The Uchiha scanned the wall of light with a slight crease to his brow; something wasn't making sense to him here. The monk's voice quietened and he lowered his hand, a self satisfied look on his face.

"_Barrier Jutsu?"_ Itachi thought, surprised. He raised his hand slowly as he looked around, raising it into a single seal of his own. Effortlessly the barrier was brought down, the paper tags all smoking from being suddenly burned out with chakra. The monk took an alarmed step back, his expression worrying as Itachi lowered his hand and pointed to him, _"From a monk?"_

He didn't pay much attention as the monk suddenly whipped his head around in horror, following dozens of black crows that existed only in his mind. Itachi stepped around the whirling monk, studying him cautiously as he dropped the paper tags and procured from his sash a pair of small paddles marked with several seals. Itachi quickly recognised them as the kanji for the hand seals, and once more had his curiosity raised.

"Come to my aid, Yadokai!" he called, before taking the paddles in each hand and striking them in an odd pattern. Itachi's brow rose as he looked incredulously at the monk, was he performing a summoning Jutsu?!

"_So he is a Shinobi who believes he is a spiritualist?"_ Itachi thought, as he lightly moved his hand through the air. With a guttural cry the monk dropped his paddles, grabbing his shoulder and face as he experienced the pain of being struck with many shuriken, _"So this is their ability? Plagiarism of the Shinobi arts. Disappointing."_

* * * * *

"HEY, KAKUZU!" Hidan called, waving his arm in the air. He and Utakata came walking down a path leading off the road Naruto and Kakuzu were taking. The large Shinobi came to a stop and looked over at his partner and the Rokubi Jinchuriki, waiting for them to catch up.

"There you are Hidan." he said, as the Jashinist neared them. Naruto gave a grin and nod to Utakata, which was returned with an equally cheerful look. The two parties met up and Hidan tapped Kakuzu on the arm, continuing on past.

"Come on, I'm getting the hell away from this bastard." Hidan muttered, before walking in the direction Kakuzu had just come from. The former Taki-nin glanced at his partner with a raised brow, before giving Utakata an impressed look.

"Seems you Jinchuriki are capable of fairly impressive things." he commented, giving a nod of farewell before turning away and following Hidan.

"Ah, Kakuzu-san!" Utakata called, taking a step forward. He reached into his kimono as Kakuzu looked back, pulling out a rather thick wad of money, "This belongs with you, right?"

Kakuzu frowned as he accepted the money, looking over the messy bundle curiously. He then cast his eyes first to Utakata, then to the distancing Hidan, appearing almost in disbelief, "He actually _earned_ something?"

"What can I say?" Utakata replied, with a smile and laugh. Kakuzu regarded him for a moment, before slipping the wad inside his cloak and following after his muttering partner. Naruto and Utakata both watched as the pair slowly drew away, before the latter turned to the former, "What do we do now?"

"Guess we head back to Ame." Naruto replied with a shrug. With no complaints from Utakata for that idea, the two turned around and continued on the path Naruto had been heading down before.

The thin forests were filled with dry trees, the air as arid as the foliage around them. However the condition was at least improving, these trees had leaves. But nothing much had changed of the dehydrated feeling, which was only emphasised by the morning sun.

Utakata let out a long sigh, rubbing his aching neck discontentedly. Unsure of just how a Jashinist's physiology worked, he had slept high in a tree to keep out of Hidan's immediate range. There would have been no telling of what may have happened if that person recovered faster than expected, so now Utakata was left stiff and sore.

"_Looks like my punishment was too harsh." _he thought, rolling his head from left to right, _"Guess this is my payback then."_

"You ok?" Naruto asked, looking at Utakata with a raised brow. The ex-Kiri nin looked at Naruto in surprise; it had been the first time in days his discomfort had been noticed thanks to a certain someone's lack of empathy. He gave a weak smile and nodded, eying the giant blade on Naruto's back wearily.

"If you carry around something like that all day, I have no place to complain about something like this." he replied, straightening up. Naruto glanced back at Eko; he was the only thing Naruto could think that Utakata was referring to.

"If you're tired, I can call one of the pups over and you can rest on them." he suggested with a raised brow. He raised his hands and almost whistled out to them, but then Utakata stopped him.

"It's ok, I'm fine with walking." he hastily said. Naruto glanced at him in surprise, before shrugging and dropping his hands back to his sides.

"Suit yourself." he said, turning his gaze back ahead again. Silence filled the air in a thick veil, unlike the quiet he had experienced with Kakuzu. Both he and Utakata were as well as alone in their thoughts, though they were quite immersed as it was. Naruto couldn't help but recall his conflict with those two… with Kankuro and Temari.

"_Who woulda thought out of all the people in the world, it'd be _those two _I'd be fighting against?" _he told himself, like he had earlier too. Thought at the time he had been prepared to do worse than he had, he was glad that he restrained himself. Even now he could imagine what would have happened had he gone too far. He knew that while Gaara would say nothing, there would be a gap between them that would never quite close again.

"Naruto-san?"

Naruto looked at Utakata questioningly, surprised by the sudden calling. He could see a slight look of uncertainty on the older boy's face, one that made him feel a little uneasy too. But more than that, there was something else that bothered him, something that was probably a lot more trivial and much less important.

"Just call me Naruto." he said, with a faint chuckle and grin. Utakata let out a laugh too, though his was clearly half hearted considering his expression and tone.

"Right." he said, breaking eye contact and lowering his gaze. Naruto waited patiently as Utakata gathered his thoughts; there was much on his mind it would seem, "I was just wondering… what was it like for you, to be a Jinchuriki?"

Naruto blinked in surprise, this was a sudden question he hadn't really been expecting. Well, that wasn't strictly true. He had been meaning to ask something similar for a while now; he hadn't expected the topic to arise _this _way. He gave a lax smile as he too lowered his gaze, slipping his hands into his pockets as he thought about his own answer.

"I guess it was pretty bad." he said, kicking a stone as he walked, "A lot of people ignored me, or tried to. They wanted to pretend I didn't exist, like I wasn't a part of their world. And for a while, that's what I wanted too."

Utakata listened quietly, his lips parted as he remembered the feeling Naruto described. He too knew what it was like to want to disappear, to be in a world where there was no one else, only him. He looked out of the corner of his eye, in truth this was the first time he had had this conversation.

"But it's like you said." Naruto continued, looking up to the sky and smiling a little more nostalgically, "It's not my place to complain. Gaara's been through a lot worse, and from what I can tell Yagura-san has had it pretty bad too. You're older than me, so I guess you've been feeling this for longer too. I'm the one with no right to act like I've got it worst… I'm the lucky one."

These last words made him laugh a little, even if the laughter was dry. This was probably the first time he'd truly considered himself lucky compared to others. Was that really how bad things were? He shook his head; all these vast thoughts made his skull feel sort of heavy. He glanced over at Utakata, awaiting the other person's response as he knew would come.

"Yeah, my situation is a lot like yours." Utakata agreed, with a slight nod. He slipped his hands behind his head and gripped his neck tight, lightly massaging it with his thumbs, "For a long time I was alone too, my mother abandoned me when I was young and I was left to fend for myself. That is, until Junko found me."

"Junko…" Naruto quietly repeated, looking up as he thought back, "You mentioned that person before, didn't you?"

"Mm-hmm. She was the one that introduced me to Yagura-niisan. And it was because of her that I became a Shinobi, and had a chance at getting some peace in the end. When I found out she was dead, I didn't know what to do. Whatever it was that happened to niisan had already happened, so all I could do was throw myself into training and try to ignore what was going on around me. Maybe it wasn't the best decision to make… but it was all I could think of."

It seemed with that he had lost himself in his thoughts once more. Naruto watched him quietly in case he came up with something else, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. In the end he too was left thinking about the past, further back than he liked to venture.

A sharp jolt suddenly struck his back as Eko struck him with some specialised chakra. His back arched from the flicker of pain and his eyes snapped open, his teeth clenching from the very brief spasm.

"GAH!" he cried out, making Utakata jump in shock. He realised the reason for Eko's sudden assault and roughly rubbed his own head as he leant forward. Then, unexpectedly, he grinned broadly at Utakata, "I wonder if there are any bandits on this road?"


	16. Breaking the silence

Wow, quite a dramatic chapter if I do say so myself. I decided to skip the rest of Gaara and Yagura's mission cos lets face it, was anyone interested in it? Don't lie, you were all excited about Naruto meeting Kankuro and Temari and Utakata being converted. Besides, that was only ever there to break up what happened on Naruto's end. Anyways, read, review, and enjoy. _In that order._

Disclaimer: Wow, updatng before 11pm during the holidays. This WAS an easy chapter to write!

* * *

**Breaking the silence**

Naruto was in the hall of the tower, the one that held his and the other's bedrooms. He sat on the window sill close to Gaara's door, resting his head on the post behind him as he watched the glittering village from above. The rain came as it usually did, casting a veil across its namesake place that made the dozens of signs and lamps shimmer in a hazy light. With the wind gently blowing away from him, Naruto was kept dry from the downpour and so could watch with no disturbance.

It had been about a week since he and Utakata had met up again, about four days since he returned to Ame. The older boy had been rather quiet since then, constantly caught in deep thought. Bored, Naruto had considered meeting up with Rika or Yuuka, or maybe even one of the soldiers he helped out in the coup years ago. But he had failed to find anyone, and so was left here on his own.

There was a faint smile on his lips, one that had stayed there for quite a long while now. He had been thinking about the village beneath him, and trying to call it his home. But for some reason that just made him feel strange, like he was lying to himself. From the looks of things, he really was used to a secluded life now. If not for the rain, he would have been tempted to sleep outside with Akira and the others.

He lightly turned his head back as he heard a distant door open. His brow rose in surprise and his smile widened as where he had expected Utakata, Gaara appeared instead. He grinned at the drenched boy who entered from the stairwell, soon drawing his attention and soon after, his company.

"Finally made it back huh?" Naruto asked, as Gaara removed his soaking muffler and tossed it in his room. The red haired Shinobi gave a small nod of reply, before leaning against the wall next to Naruto and looking to the blond familiarly, "So how'd it go?"

"We were tasked with assassinating guarded officials." Gaara replied, folding his arms as he looked out of the window, "My target managed to escape, so it took a while to find him again."

"One less suit in the world then." Naruto said, with a smirk. He turned his eyes back out of the window, falling silent as he steadied himself. He had known ever since the event that he would need to tell Gaara about it, but even with all this time he wasn't quite sure what to say. Gaara could sense his unease and looked at him, staring straight into Naruto's eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, knowing there were few things that troubled this idiotic boy, fewer that could put him into a mood like this. Naruto glanced at Gaara, realising he had been found out, and slipped his leg back inside the hall as he turned his back on the village.

"I met them…" he said, in a quiet voice. Though he hadn't seriously expected Gaara to know what he meant by that, he paused nonetheless. But several seconds of silence proved his thoughts, and he knew he would have to say it, "Your siblings."

Gaara tensed, his lips parting as he stared intently at Naruto. He knew there was a less than likely chance that the blond and his siblings happened to cross by in the street. If they had met, it would have definitely been on two different sides. However, he tried not to care, and took his eyes off Naruto as he looked down the hallway.

"What happened?" he asked, his indifferent eyes fixed on a sole spot so not to distract his alert ears. Once more Naruto took a while to answer, fidgeting in discomfort until eventually he stood.

"I fought them." he confessed, taking a couple of steps forward to make sure he could not see Gaara, "They were… on the other side and… I…"

He couldn't do it; he couldn't hide behind that pathetic excuse. He felt the same warm sweat that came when he found out who they were, and his hands curled into fists once again. He then whirled on the spot, giving Gaara an accusing stare that surprised the former Suna Shinobi thoroughly.

"I don't get it, why do they matter?" he demanded, his eyes locking onto Gaara's, "They're in the past aren't they? Why can't you just forget about them or something?!"

Despite his surprise, Gaara wasn't left speechless by Naruto's outburst. Though the blond rarely raised his voice to Gaara, he knew Naruto enough that when he did he could easily respond.

"Though not to the same extent, those two can understand my existence." he explained, without looking away from Naruto. The blond listened intently, his brow raised as he heard something he never thought he would hear; Gaara talking about his family, "As much as I hate it, they are aware of everything I have been through, and have experienced similar things from the hands of my father. Because of that, they are links to the past that keep me chained to Suna. But what I can't say is, are they chains of anger, or are they remnants of the loneliness that made me who I was? Maybe they are the people that keep me from doing what I must, or maybe they are the reason I continue on. Whatever the answer, I have to know. That's why I must find them and seek the answers for myself. Otherwise I can never know if I will be able to do what I have to."

He finished speaking, and finally broke eye contact with Naruto. The boy from the sand and the boy from the leaf stood in silence, both awaiting the latter's thoughts through the heavy atmosphere. Naruto stared hard at Gaara, his eyes wide with surprise. It pained him to think that there was a connection that strong, one that he was sure he didn't have with anyone. It left him unable to think clearly, a response sought even by himself.

Then suddenly, he turned away, raising his hands in the air as he stretched and yawned. He then gripped the back of his neck, rolling his head as his tired body asked for sleep, "Well, do what ya gotta, just promise me you won't break down crying or something next time you see them. Cos I can't promise I'll be able to contain myself."

Gaara cocked an idle brow as Naruto began to walk away, but the other soon followed as Naruto stopped. He could already see through the façade Naruto had put up, and was pretty sure the blonde knew it too.

"Suna kicked them out." he said, quietly but clearly. His expression was serious, even though there was no one to see it, "They can't return without you. It sounds like that's why they'd be looking but… it's been three years… and they're _still _looking for you."

Gaara's brow fell back into place as Naruto resumed his slow walk towards his room. Even as the door opened and closed again, he found himself following the spot his friend had been for several moments, caught in his own sense of bewilderment and silenced by his thoughts. After several seconds of silence, he turned to the window, and quietly watched the rain.

* * * * *

Down in the deeper reaches of the tower, far beneath the ground, Nagato stood in a vast, dark room with a long mirror taking up an entire wall. Behind him there was a large purple lantern, casting a weak violet light onto the middle of the room. In that area there were three large white pod chairs with amethyst padding inside. Nagato stared intently into his own reflection, his hand holding his hair aside so the right side of his face was visible too.

He watched the red iris with the three black tomoe, circling around his pupil slowly. They then came to settle, until finally stopping. But he still kept his attention to it, the Sharingan that had developed in his eye almost of its own accord. Though the actual eye that held this power was in another of his bodies, chakra transference had created this… _unusual_Sharingan.

The door far to his right opened and he quickly removed his hand, turning to look as someone entered. His expression relaxed as he realised it was Konan, peering in from the hall curiously. She spotted him and entered into the room, closing the door and pressing her back to it. She watched Nagato with faint uncertainty; she never could tell what mood he was going to be in when he had spent time on his own. However, judging by the look he gave her, now was one of the better moments. She straightened up and began to walk towards him, a secretly pleased expression on her face.

"What are you doing down here?" she asked, taking her place next to him and looking into the mirror. She mused the fact that she was ever so slightly taller than him, something that still struck her as strange when compared to how tall Nagato always seemed to her. Then again, his skinny frame in that baggy cloak didn't help for much. At least he wasn't as gaunt as he used to be.

"There was too much noise up there, and I needed to think about something." Nagato replied, looking at the Konan in the mirror with a thin smile. But it soon disappeared and was replaced with a troubled look as he glanced off to his left, "The Sharingan is now fully developed."

Konan looked over to Nagato, not his reflection but the real person, her expression unclear as her eyes hovered over the obscured part of his face. Nagato turned to look at her too, and her gaze turned to his visible, Rinnegan eye.

"I'm sending someone to infiltrate one of Orochimaru's bases." he said, suddenly and without warning. Konan's brow creased as she looked back at him, her lacking understanding more than a little clear.

"Why?" she asked, when she could think of no reason herself. Nagato turned away from her, heading towards the chairs in the middle of the room. With a tired sigh he sunk down into one of them, rubbing his eyes with the base of his palm.

"He has a Jutsu we need." he explained, folding his arms over his knees as he slouched forward. Konan stepped over and lowered herself into the seat nearest to him, listening quietly while he spoke, "I don't expect any results soon, it'll take a while. But as a precaution we absolutely need to know how it works."

"So you'll send Zetsu?" Konan asked, giving the most obvious solution that came to mind. Nagato shook his head, slumping into the mass of the chair which seemed to almost swallow his narrow form.

"Zetsu is recovering from injuries." he said, lightly massaging his temple with the tips of his fingers. Konan was taken aback by such a thing, had she misheard?

"_Zetsu_ was attacked?!" she repeated, with a look of disbelief. Nagato gave a slow nod, followed with a deep sigh. Konan settled down, she realised he was probably more troubled by this than she was, "Do you know what happened?"

"They were just able to tell me what I told you before they passed out." Nagato replied, dropping his hand onto his lap, "There's a medic keeping constant watch on them, black Zetsu is almost repaired, but not functional. They were covered in scorch marks however, I'd guess they got dangerously close to explosions. We'll find out what happened when he wakes up."

Nagato tilted his head back and rested it on the padding of the chair, closing his eyes and being silently thankful that the light wasn't too bright. His breathing shallowed as he took a moment's recuperation, his lips parting slightly as he forgot what it was he was doing.

Konan watched him from where she sat, her shock on the news of Zetsu being replaced with a content look as she watched Nagato rest. It hadn't been until he properly acclimatised to being out of that machine that she had really come to know how hard he worked. He really was exhausted, though anyone could have seen that.

Silently, she got to her feet, quietly making her way over to him. He could sense her even though his eyes were closed. He shuffled slightly as he felt her sink in beside him, a faint smile appearing on his face as he felt her head rest on his shoulder.

"Why don't you rest, just for a little while?" she suggested, in a calm, soothing voice. Though Nagato offered her no reply, she took that to be her answer instead. Soon she too closed her eyes, his heartbeat becoming a relaxing rhythm in her ear. After several seconds of silence, the red eye barely visible through Nagato's hair opened. His smile slipped from his face.

* * * * *

Utakata stood in his room, his back pressed against the wall. The only light came in through his window, casting upon him in a pale orange beam. He silently leant there, looking at the item dangling from his hand with an expressionless face. His eyes flowed over the silver circle, with the triangle sitting inside.

"_In case you change your mind, keep a hold of this, got it?"_

Even now Hidan's arrogance irritated Utakata, he still hadn't forgiven the Jashinist for what he had done. But at the same time, he couldn't through this amulet away either. For whatever reason, he felt compelled by it, by something that would normally never even cross his mind.

With a shallow sigh, he slipped the amulet back into the folds of his robes. He wouldn't get anywhere thinking about it further. He raised his head until he felt the wall behind him on his skull, looking up at the ceiling with hollow eyes. The distant look wasn't to last however, as a smirk played across his lips.

"Come on in." he called, tilting his head until he was looking at the door. Only a moment later it opened up, Yagura stepping inside and squinting at him curiously.

"What're you standing in the dark for?" he asked, looking past his shoulder and flicking the light on. Utakata raised his hand to shield his eyes, he had been there in this state for quite a while now.

"I guess I didn't notice." he replied, looking at his friend with a smile. Yagura closed the door and looked at him with a creased brow, as if seeing something he couldn't quite understand.

"Something up?" he asked, with a slight frown. He looked Utakata up and down, but could see no signs of physical injury. Yet for some reason his hand was placed over his stomach in an almost cradling manner, "Who's the father?"

Utakata suddenly broke out in silent laughter, his shoulders shaking from Yagura's relatively bad joke. This made the short boy give Utakata a look of wary disbelief, he thought the reaction was a little over the top considering.

"Guess you could say there's been a lot to think about these past couple of weeks." the taller boy said, once he had settled down. He then straightened up off the wall and took a few steps forward before flopping down onto his bed. His hands slipped behind his head and he crossed his leg as he looked up at the ceiling, "You still don't remember anything?"

"So the subject changes to me huh?" Yagura asked, crossing his arms in annoyance. Utakata smirked with slight embarrassment, it had been a feeble attempt after all. Nonetheless, it was a conversation direction Yagura was willing to take on, judging by his sigh and closed eyes, "It's the same as ever."

"I guess that's how it would be." Utakata replied, he had been expecting that answer anyway. Yagura looked at him again, his brow deepening further.

"Just tell me." he said, in a demanding tone. Utakata glanced up at him in surprise, looking him straight in the eye. Yagura looked almost angry, but like he had nothing to direct his anger towards, "Just how long was I Mizukage?"

Utakata and Yagura stared at each other for several long seconds. Utakata could clearly see how much Yagura wanted an answer to that question, just like Yagura could see how reluctant Utakata was to give it. In the end, Utakata removed his eyes from the other boy, turning away to face the wall.

"Sorry niisan." he said, quietly. Yagura waited for several moments, in the vain hope that Utakata would relent. But when it became apparent that no such thing would happen, he turned on the spot and grumbled to himself as he left. Utakata listened as he heard the door close, a sorry look on his face, _"I don't think you could handle knowing the truth."_

* * * * *

In another section of the tower, in a white room filled with steel cabinets and ceramic tiles, someone lay in a plain hospital bed. That person was a male, and unconscious man with pale skin and covered in bandages. Some wisps of his shaggy brown hair poked through the gauze wrapped around his head, and a large adhesive bandage on his left cheek.

There was something strange about the man though, something that most would disregard immediately. Along the middle of his face, and around the right side, there were a series of small irregular bumps, like the rivets that held something together. As well as that, where there were cuts and bruises on his left side, on the right there were none. In place of those, there were several scrapes and blackened marks.

The door to the shining room opened quietly, and in stepped the Deva realm, with Konan close behind him. As soon as they were inside, they looked to their right. A man sitting in a chair by a dull metal desk rose to his feet, moving to greet them. He was a physician, dressed in a white coat and wearing half moon glasses with a chain running around the back of his neck to keep them from falling off. He ran a hand through his fading black hair, picking up a medical clipboard as he passed by.

"What is the report?" Deva asked, his voice calm and unassuming. He looked over at the person who was probably Akatsuki's second most valuable member, undeterred by the fact that that very person seemed dead to the world.

"Multiple contusions all over his body, coupled with lacerations on the face, torso and arms." the physician explained, scratching his head as he looked over the chart with dark and tired eyes, "Judging by the dirt in the wounds, I'd say the worst of his condition came from his escape. He overdid it and his cuts became infected."

Pein and Konan stepped over onto one side of the unconscious man, while the doctor took the other side. Though the patient in question was now clean, it was clear from the look of things that his condition was poor at best. Konan looked him up and down with a look of quiet shock, disbelief present in her eyes.

"_This _is Zetsu-san?" she asked, looking at Pein uncertainly. The stoic faced man gave a nod of reply before raising his eyes to the physician with a look that requested more information.

"It looks like the worst injury came here." the doctor said, as he reached for the thin sheet covering Zetsu's body. With a small look of warning, he removed the sheet for the pair to see. Konan winced slightly from the sight before her, while Pein as expected offered no reaction, "It looks like he was hit with a small explosive here, but fortunately there was no damage to any major systems."

"How long will he take to recover?" Pein asked, as Zetsu was covered once more. The physician let out a tired sigh as he placed the chart down on the bedside cabinet, he was really looking forward to retiring for the night.

"The right side, what you call "black" Zetsu, runs off the chakra generated by "white" Zetsu." he replied, removing his glasses and wiping them with his sleeve, "However, the person giving the chakra isn't too important, as long as there is a constant flow running through his body, he should be able to function. However, with that wound he may encounter some problems, I'd advise caution."

Pein gave a nod of understanding, but decided to proceed in spite of the warning. He pulled his sleeve back and reached out, gripping Zetsu's shoulder tight. Without having to even form a seal, he began moving his chakra into the unconscious Shinobi's body.

It happened almost immediately, a reaction occurring that made Konan jump from surprise. Along the right side of Zetsu, his body suddenly changed as a rush of black came up from who knew where. There was barely enough time to register what was happening, and then it was over. All of a sudden the right side was completely black, and his hair a mossy green. His eye snapped open, a single yellow orb in the middle of the darkness.

"Zetsu-san." Pein called, alerting the attention of the now mismatched person. The single open eye darted to Pein's face, before looking to his left. After a few moments of confusion, black Zetsu settled.

"**Looks like we were hit pretty bad."** black Zetsu said. He then did something that disgruntled even the physician. He got up, _without the other half of his body_. Where there should have been organs and other internal aspects, there was only a pale flesh like substance between the two forms. Black Zetsu slipped into a sitting position, while his other half lay unconscious still.

"I'll leave you be." the physician said, turning around and stepping past equipment as he left the room. Once he was gone, black Zetsu rolled his head, looking at the other Zetsu in the process, **"Who wants to bet if the situation was reversed, he'd say something stupid like "there lies my better half"?"**

He shook his head lightly, sighing to himself. He then looked up at Pein and Konan, and could already tell why they were here. He pushed himself off the bed and down to the floor. However, instead of hitting the ground with a thud, he somehow sank several feet until he was down only to his waist. From there several curved spikes began to jut through the ground, growing until he was surrounded by them.

"**Damn it, where is it?"** he wondered aloud, as he moved past Konan and Pein to a more roomy part of the ward. Though he turned his head in several directions, neither Pein nor Konan thought he was looking for something around him. This was confirmed when he finally turned to the empty wall to his right, and raised his hand to his head, "**Without **_**him**_** this is the best I got, so don't expect great quality."**

"That's fine." Pein replied, as black Zetsu's eye began to flicker strangely. After a moment of fading and flickering, the yellow colour changed completely to an assortment of colours arranged in a haphazard way. Though neither of the ninja who towered above him could see his face, both could see the results as they were projected on the wall he was facing.

It looked like an image taken from a forest, thought the terrain was rocky and dry. The clouds in the sky were hanging remarkably low, and the foliage was mostly pine trees and small wiry shrubs. Off to the distance however, there was a single person visible. A blonde woman with her long hair tied back with a bandage walked through the woods, completely unaware that she was being surveyed.

Judging by her appearance, she was a Kumogakure Kunoichi. Dressed in a black shirt with a lilac vest over it, and navy trousers reaching just above her ankles. Her arms and legs were both wrapped in bandages, and she wore black gloves and a red belt around her waist. Any other features were difficult to make out however, she had her back to the place where this had been recorded.

"**Nii Yugito."** black Zetsu explained, as the woman disappeared into the trees, "**She's a wily one, this is the closest I've gotten in a while. I may have had better luck, but then this happened."**

Right on cue, the image shook suddenly as Zetsu must have whipped around. The view became clear once more, but by then it was already too late. A tall figure in a worn hooded cloak was almost face to face with Zetsu, his hand the largest thing in view as it reached out towards the camera. It was there that the film cut off, static in the form of millions white and black dots covered the wall in an insane rush.

"That was…" Konan breathed, her eyes wide with shock. Without instruction, black Zetsu rewound the recording to the point the knew Konan was referring to. The point where the assailant's hand was in the best view, "That's just like…"

* * * * *

"Ha-HACHOO!"

In the midst of a thick blizzard, two dark figures skulked through the darkness. The first, the person in question, was a person of average height, dressed in the cloak of Akatsuki and wearing a sedge hat with paper ribbons obscuring his face. Beside him was a short and seemingly hunchbacked person, dressed in the same cloak albeit more suited to his peculiar shape. Like the person next to him, his face was hidden too.

"Careful Deidara, you may catch your death out here." the shorter person said, in a voice that was both gravelly an goading.

"Gimme a break Danna." Deidara replied, his hands lowering from his face to his side. He lightly wiped his hands on his cloak, and a thin pair of lips on his palm opened up to spit onto the snow, "I'm freezing my ass off out here."


	17. A divide resealed

I quite like this chapter, there were a lot of things I had to consider, and the solutions came surprisingly quick. Not much trouble here either, starting was the most difficult. Now we move on to one of the points I've been waiting for. Well, I'll let you see for yourselves.

Disclaimer: I've recently been tempted to try those lame internet habits, like "the game" and such (yeah yeah I lose, you lose), but in the end I decided there was more interesting things to do. Like mentioning this completely pointless fact.

* * *

**A divide resealed**

Through the dense, thick forests high in the hills of Oto no Kuni, there stood a grand mountain towering over all things. It was one of many in a range of mountains all around, but this one was by far the most secluded. The silent woods around it listened warily to the hollow tone that echoed through a small cavity in the mountain, a stone entrance high above with a set of large stone steps leading towards it. It was at the base of these steps that Naruto and Utakata stood, staring at the mountain with looks of wonder.

They began to climb the stairs, taking care on the crumbling stone as they ascended towards the doorway. It had taken them a while to distinguish this mountain between the others, but it had been Utakata who selected this one above all others.

From where they climbed, the mountain filled the entire view. There was no hint to where it ended in any direction, left right or even above. That was just one of the features that had caught Utakata's attention, along with just how out of the way the place was. However this staircase was certainly enough to suggest it was the place they sought, how often did mountains have entrances?

They reached the gaping doorway that led inside the mountain, to a tunnel with a strange zigzagging pattern along the rust red walls. Into the long expanse there lay no sign of light, just whatever of the sun managed to squeeze its way in at the time. The two of them began to walk inside, their footsteps letting out a dull ring as they moved further from the light.

"Man, what's that smell?!" Naruto exclaimed, his hand rising rapidly to his face. And acrid stench was rising in the air, like a noxious gas seeping its way into his lungs. It made his eyes water and screw up, how could anyone stand such conditions?!

"Try and ignore it." Utakata replied, his voice sounding like it was coming from another room. Naruto looked curiously at the older boy, a baffled look appearing on his face as he realised a large bubble enveloped the sly bastard's head. Utakata grinned and flashed the peace sign to Naruto, further antagonising the blond.

"What, you only got one of those?" Naruto demanded, with a bitter look. Utakata shrugged apologetically, indicating with his bubble blower that there was no way to create another with the barrier in the way.

"The air's too dirty now, it wouldn't work now we're this far in." he explained, replacing his tool into the sash around his waist, "Besides, this thing is only temporary, I'm gonna be just like you in a minute."

Naruto grumbled to himself as he slouched, it sounded more like Utakata was being an ass for the hell of it. Still, he'd get his own when he caught this smell full force. At least Naruto had time to get used to it.

The light soon faded away, and they began walking through the darkness. The tunnel had yet to change direction or angle, they continued on a straight path even in the blackness.

"Chances are anyone down here is used to the dark." Utakata said, reaching into his pouch, "Using this won't make too much of a difference in the long run."

Unable to see what he was doing, it wasn't until a loud hissing and bright red light burst into existence that Naruto realised what Utakata was talking about. In his hand there was a small flare, casting its fiery glow in every direction. Utakata came to a stop soon after they regained visibility, his eyes lowering to the ground ahead, "Hey, look."

Before them, just a few metres ahead, there was a round metal hatch at the end of the corridor. It stood open wide, with a set of iron ladders barely visible in the poor light. Naruto and Utakata glanced at each other, with the wall in front of them this appeared to be the only way of progressing. Naruto volunteered to be the first to check it out, moving forward before the question could even be raised. He slipped down into the wide hole, gripping the rungs of the ladder as he made his steady descent into the well of darkness below.

The climb was surprisingly long, it took him a half minute to reach the bottom. But soon he stepped out into a torch lit hall, with Utakata close behind them. Like up above, the walls around held the same pattern, except in this case they were a metallic blue. Utakata stifled the flare by dropping it on the ground and stepping on it, ceasing the unnecessary light and sound. Naruto sniffed the air, a look of surprise on his face.

"The smell's gone." he stated, looking to Utakata in surprise. The former Kiri nin cocked a brow at this and popped the bubble around his head. He took a deep inhale, and immediately regretted it.

He whipped his head around to the corner of the room, bowing his head as he gasped. Judging from the splashing sound that soon followed, Naruto had been better off getting used to it. With lacking sympathy, the blond started laughing hard, gripping his sides as he did what he could to ensure he didn't make too much noise.

Utakata wearily raised his head, wiping his mouth and shooting Naruto a dirty look. It soon disappeared however, as he realised his view was obstructed by what seemed to be a hip flask. Looking past it, he saw Naruto looking down the hall with a smirk on his face.

"We don't need _that _smell competing with _this_ one." he said, as Utakata quietly accepted the bottle. He held the flask high and poured some of the water it contained into his mouth, before swishing it around and spitting into the puddle behind him. He then handed it back to Naruto, who jerked his head down the hall, "The smell _is _fading though."

Utakata raised his sleeve to his face, despite saying that it was still too much for him to handle. He and Naruto began to make their way down the hall, following the trail of torches to wherever they led.

After just a minute of walking, they caught a faint flicker of blue light ahead. There seemed to be a turning in the passage, wherever the light came from it was somewhere in a leftward direction. Naruto and Utakata took care as they neared this corner, there was also a faint sound that resembled a voice.

"So they're gone?" asked one of the voices, barely distinguishable over a low humming that also rang through the corridor. It steadily became clearer as the two Shinobi drew closer, and the light grew stronger.

"Yeah." replied another, a voice gruffer than the first. Naruto and Yagura turned to corner carefully, and found the end of the passage to be not too far ahead, "Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto are one thing, but _those two_ give me the creeps."

Naruto and Utakata peered over the horizon at the end of the passage. There were steps descending into a long, lower room, the source of the pale blue light. Where the two corridors before had been made of coloured stone, most of the surfaces here were covered in dulled grey metal. Along either side were metal walkways leading to rooms on the left and right of the corridor the two Shinobi now stood, and two more up ahead.

Below them, the reason for the light became clear. Tall metal vats holding a liquid almost like water ran along the walls, making four in total on each side. The light emitted was indeed a pale blue, and the only source of illumination in sight. Further along, at the end of the room, two Shinobi guards stood before large steel doors, conversing to each other without much attention to their surroundings.

"Just try and get over it." said the first guard, slouching against the wall behind him. He was dressed in a pale lilac shirt with long arm protectors sporting a white and black camouflage design. He wore dark blue slacks, and a forehead protector tied loosely around his leg with a musical note engraved on it, "Once we get word they're at the next base, we can relax."

Not taking much interest in the conversation, Naruto signed to Utakata. Once he had received a nod of agreement the two of them separated, darting through the air and landing on the walkways at either side. They both ran soundlessly along, Naruto taking Eko in hand and biting into his thumb in the process. He then gave Utakata a signal and the other boy suddenly halted his efforts to mask the sounds he was making.

"Hey!" one of the guards exclaimed, pointing up to Utakata in surprise. The other guard looked up and the two prepared to attack, just as Naruto scribbled a seal onto Eko's blade and came to a halt. He raised Eko's hilt onto his shoulder and aimed the red groove for the guard nearest to Utakata first, his left eye squeezed shut while the other was open as wide as it would go.

"_Come on!" _he thought, doing his best to line up the view. He managed to make it just as the guard was about to move, and forced his Futon chakra straight into Eko's form.

The attack was a success, before anyone had even known what had happened a small hole appeared in the first guard's skull, opening out on the other end with a grotesque crack. Seeing only the spatter on the wall to his left, the other guard turned around just in time to take the same attack in his eye. Before either of the guards could even comprehend the situation, they had both been killed.

"That's a convenient trick!" Utakata called, as the two resumed their way to the doors on either side.

"Not really." Naruto replied, keeping Eko in hand as he ran, with the blade behind him, "Those shots are hard as hell to line up, it took more chakra than it should've to do it that fast as well."

"Ah, well don't overdo it then!" Utakata said, before disappearing through the doorway at the end of the room. Naruto gave an unnecessary nod, before he too vanished from sight.

* * * * *

"I need you to investigate this." Pein finished, speaking through his Deva realm. He stood with his back to the room, looking out through the small opening onto the street outside. The place he was in was partially below ground, with only a few feet of the outside world visible through glass and iron bars, "The last place this person was seen was near Kumogakure, but this was two days ago."

"This is a person who managed to cause great harm to one of Akatsuki?" Gaara asked, from his place near the old wooden door. The room was stylised to look like the basement of a tavern, with a wooden table and chairs to one side and a tall empty wine along the left wall.

"How are we even going to find this person?" Yagura added, resting his arm on the table as he sat forward. The frown he wore on his face was fast becoming a trademark of his, Gaara had certainly seen it often enough recently.

"This person successfully attacked the most evasive member of Akatsuki." Pein explained, turning around to face the two Jinchuriki, "From the battle Zetsu-san described to us, we can just about eliminate all possibility that this assailant was working for anyone in particular. However we can almost definitely say that he is or was a Shinobi of Iwagakure."

"Iwa Shinobi aren't best known for their subtleties." Gaara said, speaking mostly from tales recounted by Kisame. He himself had almost never encountered an Iwa nin, with only two such incidents ever occurring, "You think he was trying to get information?"

"Either that or he was sending a message." Pein replied, as a folded piece of paper dropped from his sleeve and into his waiting hand. He tossed it to Gaara, who caught it and opened it with only a moment's hesitation, "That is the face of the target, aside from that we don't know very much."

Gaara stared at the sketch, his eyes narrowing considerably in the process. After a few moments of concentration, he passed the piece of paper onto Yagura and folded his arms once more. The other boy took his turn to look at the picture, but there were no signs of recognition on his face. He folded the paper back over and slipped it into his pocket, before Pein resumed speaking.

"He is using a Kinjutsu of Iwa that is used to push chakra into any object of a suited size." he said, before raising his hand for Gaara and Yagura to see, "It takes the form of extra mouths that appear on the user's body. As far as we know he has one on his right palm."

"That sounds like a strange Jutsu." Yagura said, as Pein lowered his hand again, "Why is it forbidden?"

"The effects are irreversible." Pein replied, looking straight at Yagura as he answered, "Because of its uses, and that the mouths will remain even after the user dies, it becomes an easy and valuable Jutsu to steal. For that reason, Iwa has forbidden it from being taught by most Shinobi, while the few who are allowed it are given special measures to be met in the case of their deaths."

"So you want us to go looking for him?" Gaara asked, his expression mismatching his disbelieving tone, "By the time we arrive the trail will almost definitely be cold."

Pein almost seemed to ignore Gaara's question as he then began walking towards the door. Yagura rose to his feet as the leader of Akatsuki opened the door and paused, looking straight at Gaara beside him, "Not in this case."

Curious, the two boys followed Pein into the hallway and along it as the oldest Shinobi led them in the direction they hadn't taken on their way here. There were a few more doors like the one they had left through, some with strange whirring noises coming from behind them while others had squawks, barks and other animal calls emitting.

"Out of all the other members of Akatsuki, Zetsu-san is the absolute worst one to choose as a target." Pein said, as they made their way to the further reaches of the hallway, "For even if you do manage to attack him, and survive thereafter, you can never escape."

They came to a stop outside one of the last doors in the passage, one with shafts of light breaking through the top and bottom where pieces of wood were missing. Pein opened the door and stepped in, with Gaara and Yagura close behind.

In the room, cages lined the walls on both the right and left, hutches rising from the floor straight to the ceiling. The two younger Shinobi looked inside as they walked past, there was an assortment of small animals nestled behind the wire mesh. Birds, lizards, rabbits, there seemed to be no particular designation for those that lived here outside of size. And that was the defining point. Each of these animals, even the rats, were each the size of a small cabinet.

Pein opened up one of the hutches at the end of the room, reaching in slowly as the two boys came to a stop. He took out his arm carefully, and with it came a large bird perched upon it. It held a dark brown plumage with large feathers covering its lanky body. A bristled collar of black feathers wrapped around its wrinkled neck, an unsightly pink head with beady black eyes and a small white beak resting above it.

"Vulture?" Gaara asked, as the bird turned its head and squawked loudly. It spread its broad wings out wide, and for a second it appeared almost majestic.

"Those who battle with Zetsu-san are marked with spores from his body." Pein explained, lowering the vulture onto the table behind him. The skinny bird stepped off onto the wooden surface, while Pein took what seemed to be a package of dried meat from a shelf above the table, "Hagetaka has been specially trained to track the scent of those spores, take him with you and he shall find the trail with relative ease."

He then turned around and handed the packet of meat to Yagura, before moving past the two boys to the door. He stopped just before leaving, looking over his shoulder to them, "Once Hagetaka is familiar with you, leave immediately. Even this advantage will fade if you waste time."

Gaara nodded in understanding as Yagura opened the package. Immediately the vulture lifted off from the table and landed on Yagura's staff, peering down into the packet hungrily. Pein left at this, closing the door behind him. Gaara looked from that place to the bird, closing his eyes for a moment as he sighed.

"Let's get this over with." he said, taking some meat and raising it to Hagetaka. The bird wasted no time in nipping the strand from Gaara's fingers, nearly triggering the sand defences in the process.

* * * * *

Naruto stalked the dark tunnels deep beneath the mountain, trying to listen for sounds other than the whirring of generators and air conditioning units. But so far there was no other sound than that monotonous buzzing, he almost felt completely alone.

He hadn't been told specifically what to look for, and so with every door he came across he would look inside. All he knew was that he needed to find anything related to Jutsu seal it inside a scroll. However so far his finds had held nothing relevant to the subject, but he was steadily getting an idea as to the purpose of this facility. However, most of the stuff he found didn't make a lot of sense at all.

He stopped by another door that he had come across, and listened out for any signs of life within. When he was fairly certain that there were none, he pushed the door open and crept inside. As soon as the door was closed again, he flicked on the light switch beside him.

"_Man, isn't it about time we got something?"_

"_There's nothing to take yet." _Naruto replied, as he stepped into what appeared to be a medical ward. It was a grim one however, grey walls and floors with green curtains covering the beds all around. There were a few filing cabinets placed along a couple of the walls, and a smaller room built within this one.

He decided first to check the desk off to his right. He placed his hand on the cold metal and spread the other around the scattered sheets in front of him. He found a metal clipboard and picked it up, frowning as he studied it.

"_Patient forty-seven-F?"_ he read, looking around him. Was this a medical bay then? He turned around and looked further onto the file as he stepped towards the centre of the room, _"Subject of the Phi strand, stage three... Was placed in bed five until proper treatment can be conducted."_

He raised his eyes, looking over the beds before him. The fifth bed was third from the right, not too far from where he already was. He headed towards it, he could faintly see a stationary silhouette lying down before him. Quietly, he reached out and pulled open the curtain, looking to the person inside.

"_Yikes…" _he thought, wincing uneasily. He looked at the clipboard again, wishing he'd read the rest before looking for himself, _"Patient grew multiple arms from right shoulder, and several of what appear to be kidneys have developed, resulting in severe bulging. Subject status; deceased."_

He closed the curtain again, suddenly keen to do something to wipe his memory of such an event. It was times like these he really wished he could take alcohol, unfortunately now would be a poor choice in any case. He discarded the clipboard back onto the desk and turned off the light as he left, there wouldn't be anything like what he was looking for here.

"_Well… I'm glad _I _don't eat."_

"_Don't remind me."_ Naruto thought sourly, as he turned and continued his way down the hall. Despite his disgruntlement at the sight however, it did help another piece to the puzzle which slowly gathered together.

From the looks of things there was a lot of human experimentation going on. It made him curious though, why were there so few people here? He'd have thought there would be some sound of complaint or discomfort, if what he saw back there was a possible outcome he had doubts that many people would be willing subjects. Yet in this cold, dark place he held even doubts about himself. What was he doing-

Naruto blinked in surprise. From just around the corner, not two feet ahead of him, a fairly bulky guard stepped out. It seemed that the guard was just as surprised as Naruto was, judging by the bewildered look on his chubby face. But the moment Naruto reached for his sleeves he snapped into action, opening his mouth wide.

"GWAH?!" Naruto exclaimed, as where a tongue should have been, an arm extended from the base of the wide open cavity. His throat was grabbed by the saliva covered appendage, and he was caught in a vice grip that already forbade breathing.

"Hee hogh a heuwihee hee!" the guard called out, his arm-filled mouth muffling his speech. For some reason though, Naruto wasted his brainpower working out that it was something like 'We've got a security breach!'

"_You idiot…"_

"Get… that… damn hand… OFF ME!" Naruto grunted, grasping the wrist in both his hands. The man cried out as blood suddenly spurted from between Naruto's fingers, unable to hold his grip any longer. He retracted his arm back into his mouth and reached for the weapons holsters on either hip. But by the time he had grabbed a pair of kunai in his hands and was prepared to attack, Naruto had grabbed Eko's hilt and swung around in a horizontal arc.

"GRRRAAARRR!" the guard cried out, his nullified speech failing to reach a high enough volume. He looked down, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the large blade resting between his torso and his hips. He heard the thud of his lower half hitting the ground, and passed out as blood poured out of his stomach at an extreme rate.

"_WILL YOU GET THIS LARD ASS OFF ME?!"_

"_Sorry!" _Naruto replied, tipping the blade over and letting the dead guard fall to the ground. While avoiding looking at the entrails, Naruto wiped Eko off on the non-blood-soaked shirt of the guard, before he replaced the blade on his back.

"_How many times do I have to tell you, you leave me touching the guts, I'm gonna hurt you."_

Naruto apologised again, hopping over the corpse and hurrying around the corner. He needed to make sure no one else had been alerted from that guard's cries. But it seemed he was fortunate, the rest of the corridor in side was soundless, the light of the torches revealed no one in sight either.

"_Looks like we're still ok." _he thought, as he began making his way through this next corridor. There was a series of glass panes on the right wall up ahead, where more of the blue light was coming from. As Naruto cautiously passed by, he saw that there were scientists working down there, oblivious to the earlier cry from the sounds the vats and machines were creating.

It was here that he truly found what the purpose of the vats were. Inside each of them was a person, naked and suspended in the liquid within. Whether it was man, woman, dark skinned or light, the only clear distinction was that they were all young people looking to be roughly in their twenties. However, from the various mutations on their bodies ages were difficult to define. Some had gills, extra limbs, and strange additions Naruto could only describe as oddly placed fins.

"_There's someone up ahead."_

Naruto turned his eyes to the end of the hall without making any sudden movements. Though he had missed whatever it was Eko had caught, he _just_ faintly heard what sounded like a breath. That struck his curiosity, who was hiding back there when they could be seeking help, or facing him head on?

Carefully, Naruto gripped the hilt of the Zweihaender on his back as he fixed his absolutely focused eyes on the corner ahead. He stepped confidently, but made no sound as he moved. He focused his breathing so that it too was hushed and impossible to hear.

He reached the end of the hall way before he suddenly broke to his highest speed. He leapt from the ground and kicked off the two walls so that the very moment he appeared, he was right in front of the person hiding. Between the two of them was Eko, forming both a wall as a defence while the edge of the blade was against the person's neck. Naruto smirked confidently, looking up at the person he had trapped. His smirk disappeared.

"Rika-chan?!" he exclaimed, his jaw dropping in shock.


	18. A line that has been crossed

Whoa, I got pretty pumped during this one. To those of you you think the last chapter was filler, well, you're wrong. I'll let you see for yourselves why that is.

Disclaimer: Is anyone else surprised that Naruto seems to have knowledge of sea life?

* * *

**A line that has been crossed**

Both stood in silence, two figures frozen stiff, shock clear in their eyes. The massive blade of the Ekokaeten stood between them, soundless during this encounter that no one could have predicted. Naruto stared at Rika, his mouth hanging open while she looked back with clenched teeth. The whirring sound continued, but from here, it sounded so very distant.

"Rika-chan?!" Naruto breathed, his body like a statue as it remained immobile. He scanned the woman before him, with her hair tied back he could clearly see that scar on her face. He had little doubt about it, this was her.

"Naruto?!" Rika mimicked, looking up at the blonde incredulously. She was pressed against the wall by Eko's form, the thick collar of her dark grey flak jacket pressing against her neck while the edge of the blade almost touch the underside of her jaw, "What are you doing here?!"

"Huh- I was-" Naruto began, before shaking his head rapidly, "Wait a minute, what're _you _doing here?!"

After a brief moment's thought he realised that it was incredibly unlikely she was here on a mission. Despite the slashed forehead protector bearing the Ame crest she wore, he had serious doubts Pein sent her here at the same time he decided to send Naruto and Utakata. Whatever the reason, he doubted that Pein had the slightest knowledge of Rika's presence.

"I'm looking for- will you get this off me?!" Rika hissed, trying uselessly to push Eko away. Naruto lifted the blade and moved it aside, but he wasn't ready to put his guard down yet. Though he was fairly certain, he didn't want to risk being mistaken that this was Rika. The lavender haired girl stepped away from the wall, rubbing her neck irritably, "I'm looking for something."

"What?" Naruto asked, his brow creased in confusion. Now that he thought about it, how could this be a fake of Rika? No one here knew of the two of them, and they didn't really have a strong enough connection to be used for deception. Then he was hit with a sudden thought, something he found quite worrisome, "Is Yuuka-chan here?"

"Of course she is." Rika replied, peering around the corner Naruto had come from. She looked into the contents of the vats and cringed, but didn't turn, "She's on the other side, with Haru."

"Shit." Naruto muttered, looking back the way he had come, "That's not good. Yuuka-chan's a Genin, what about the other person?"

"Haru's a Chunin." Rika replied, frowning at Naruto with an uneasy feeling, "What?"

"My partner won't know about them." Naruto explained, as he returned Eko to his back, "And he's ANBU level, he's probably moving faster than I am."

"What?!" Rika exclaimed, with an agitated look. She whipped around and began to turn the corner, preparing to run down the hallway, "I gotta get there!"

"Hold on!" Naruto said, grabbing her wrist. He nearly lost his grip on her, but his fingers curled around on the mesh undershirt she was wearing, which ran down her arms and around the base of her hand around her thumb. She stopped and looked back and glared at him for stopping her, her eyes demanding an explanation, "I'll send a Kage Bunshin to get them, it'll get there faster!"

"Well hurry then!" Rika replied, tugging her hand out of the way. Naruto nodded and formed the seal, called the Jutsu, and sent the clone on his way. Rika watched the copy of Naruto run down the hall, sure enough he was going faster than she could. But she still wasn't completely settled, she turned to Naruto and looked angrily at him, "Why are you-"

She was suddenly cut off as a shrill sound exploded through the near silence, and red light burst from the bulbs on the ceiling. Alarms blazed all around them in a hellish canon that reached a single, troublesome conclusion; they had been caught.

"Fuck!" Naruto swore, whipping his head around in both directions. He then grabbed Rika's wrist again and pulled her in the opposite direction of where he had come from, letting go when he was sure she was following, "C'mon, first thing they'll do is block the exits!"

"Like I don't know that!" Rika replied, running alongside him. The alarms soon came to a stop, and they were left with only the constant light of the bulbs above them, "There's only one way out!"

Naruto grunted, that sounded troublesome. But not long after that he developed a smirk. If there were going to be guards running around, then there was only one possible course of action; they would need to take out every last guard in this damn place.

"_Kinda wish Gaara was here."_ he thought, as a large door ahead of them burst open. Four Shinobi burst through, each one looking like they were competing to see who could look the most badass. Naruto came to a stop, gripping Eko and smirking to himself, _"It's no fun when there's no… race?"_

He was caught off guard from his thoughts when to his surprise, Rika continued running. She headed straight for the enemy, dipping her hand into the pouch attached to her tight black trousers. She flung a smoke bomb just as the four Shinobi rushed her, before disappearing into the darkness.

"_Wha?" _Naruto thought, looking incredulously as the cloud diminished. He hadn't expected Rika to run right on ahead, and now that she had there wasn't much he could do. He didn't really know how to fight with another close range type on his side, he'd probably kill her if he tried.

It turned out though that it wasn't necessary. Moments later the cloud diminished, and Naruto was left watching the results. Rika lay on the ground, her arms and legs wrapped around the necks of each of the Shinobi. For some reason the guards seemed almost unable to move, like their bodies were numb or something.

"_Is she… absorbing their chakra?!"_

"_Huh?" _Naruto thought, glancing back at Eko, _"Absorbing chakra?"_

"_There're some Shinobi who can use Jutsu that take in the chakra of their opponent. But to do it with so many at once… she's had practice."_

"Will you hurry up?!" Rika demanded, as the guards began to grasp at her limbs, "I can't hold them forever!"

"Uh, sure." Naruto replied. He reached into his sleeves as he walked towards the pile of people, throwing his shuriken into the faces of the four Shinobi. He then gave a signal and ran forward, while the guards screamed and reached for the shuriken. Rika slipped out of the hold and out of the way as Naruto somersaulted overhead, throwing his palms to the ground and sending the shuriken the rest of the way through. He then landed on the ground next to Rika, extending a hand to help her up, "That was reckless."

"_Like you've got room to talk."_

"You carry a sword like that and still move fast, you gotta be able to do _something_." Rika responded, straightening up and brushing dirt from her clothes, "What the hell took you so long?"

"Like I knew what you were gonna do!" Naruto shot back, looking to the corpses behind them in annoyance. He decided to let it go in the end, his Kage Bunshin hadn't been dispelled yet and he was a little worried about what was going on at the other side, "Anyway, lets get moving."

Rika nodded and the two of them headed through the open doors into a junction of hallways. They came to a stop at the three possibilities, the two on either side were a pair of descending staircases, while the path ahead turned to the right just a couple dozen yards down.

"I came down that way." Rika said, speaking quietly as she nodded straight ahead, "It looked like that was the guards' quarters up there, and the containment rooms are further ahead. Looks like that's where the enemy will come from."

"Great." Naruto replied, stepping ahead of her. He then gripped Eko and drew him out, holding him in both hands before him. He faced the passageway ahead, listening as he heard the first doors crashing open to the distance, "I'll deal with these guys. You go on down there and find your sister. Utakata will help you out once he hears from my Kage Bunshin."

"What are you saying?!" Rika hissed, stepping close behind him, "You can't be thinking of taking these guys on!"

"What else?" Naruto asked, his eyes setting in a determined shade. But then he paused, looking serious for a moment, "You came here looking for something right? You keep on looking, I'll be with you in a minute."

Rika paused, her surprise not even needing to be seen. She faltered for a moment, caught between her pride and her goal. Naruto gave a jerk of his head, and in the end that was the deciding mark. She ran down the staircase to the left, disappearing quickly from view. Naruto glanced over his shoulder as he left, watching the spot for several silent moments.

"_Don't pretend you're not glad she's gone."_

Naruto let out an inward chuckle as he turned his eye to the path ahead. Eko really did know him to well. As the pounding footsteps began ringing out, he started his way towards them at a slow pace which soon turned into a run. All the while a grin spread across his face, his teeth sharpening slightly and his eyes beginning to turn another colour entirely.

* * * * *

Rika skidded to a halt after several minutes of running and searching. She had just ascended a flight of stairs from one of the vat rooms and now faced a small group in one of the hallways above. She placed her hands on her knees, catching her breath as the group neared her.

"You are Rika-san I take it?" Utakata asked, glancing back behind him. He looked at Yuuka, noticing the almost exact appearances the two shared, minus the slight change in eye shape, the scar on Rika's face and that Yuuka wore no mesh undershirt. The more docile twin stepped around Utakata, heading to Rika with a concerned look on her face.

"You need rest?" she asked, crouching down next to her sister. Rika just shook her head in reply, straightening up while she still breathed heavily. Her eyes locked with the stranger in front of her, she knew who this must be.

"Naruto filled you in then?" she asked, as Yuuka straightened up beside her. Utakata gave a nod of reply, slipping his hand down the back of his collar as he looked up at the burning red lights above him. They had been fortunate enough to avoid any guards, but he felt that fact would change soon enough.

"Yeah, but I think the situation has changed since he sent the message." he replied, watching with a raised brow as a scientist appeared at the end of the hallway before suddenly changing his mind, "I couldn't really say what Naruto intends to do, this is the first mission we've taken together."

"Last I saw he was heading for the guards quarters." Rika replied, her expression remaining serious even though Utakata chuckled, "You think he can handle it?"

Utakata took a moment to think about that, listening out as he heard what softly sounded like a distant explosion. Though he hadn't fought beside Naruto, he had the suspicion that he was this type of person. But there was something else to consider too.

"He killed one of the most wanted Shinobi ever to betray Kirigakure." he said, his eyes distancing for a moment, "So I'll have faith in him, it's the least I can do."

"No, the least you can do is give us a hand getting out of here." said the person behind Utakata. The Rokubi Jinchuriki glanced back at the person known as Haru, a boy with loose red hair and wild green eyes. Like the two girls, he wore a heavy flak vest, but with a thick black jacket underneath it, and dark slacks on his lower half. Also like the twins, his slashed headband was tied in the namesake place. All of their allegiances were pretty clear.

"Sorry, Naruto and I have our own mission." Utakata replied, taking a slight disliking to Haru's presumptuous tone. He got over it however, the circumstances were outstanding to say the least. However Rika and Yuuka both seemed to feel the same thing, judging by the reproachful looks they were giving their team mate.

"We can't leave yet!" Rika exclaimed, glaring at Haru for suggesting something like that, "We haven't even found anything yet!"

"You don't even know if there's anything to find!" Haru replied, just as hotly as Rika, "We could be risking our necks for something that isn't even here!"

"There's no point arguing." Utakata said, putting a hand on Haru's shoulder and giving a sympathetic look, "When it comes to decision making, a woman is worth at least two men, so you're outnumbered four to one."

Haru looked at Utakata with a slightly disgusted expression, but in the end he conceded. He stepped away from Utakata and down the hall ahead, standing with his back to the other three. After a moment of silence he groaned to himself, causing a smirk from Rika and a quiet cheer from Yuuka.

"Let's get a move on!" Haru announced, slipping his hands into a pair of black gloves hanging from his waist. In the light Utakata faintly caught a look at what appeared to be seals embroidered along the knuckles. His brow rose in curiosity, but there wasn't much more than that. The three younger ninja headed off ahead without him, and in the end he decided to follow. He really wasn't the type to take enemies on one on one, so having a distraction nearby could prove useful.

As he ran after them, he carefully searched among the phials in his kimono, deciding which one would be best to use in this situation. When he heard another, slightly louder explosion he smirked to himself; it seemed he could get away with something a little flashier.

* * * * *

_Splat!_

Three of the guards at the front of the masses took a step back, a disgruntled look on their blood soaked faces. All around them the guards quarters were in ruins, bunks shattered and sliced apart, walls fallen and crumbling. And before them, stood a hulking monster with a bare back and torn slacks. He stood in a slumped position, his back to the others as he grasped at the hole in his chest. Then, like someone who was just too tired to stand, he fell aside, letting out nothing more than a slight groan.

But Naruto wasn't done yet. He darted on and over the shrinking behemoth and straight for the other guards, even as the dust from his last fight still settled. In truth that monster back there had been child's play, but with the numbers he was now facing things could be difficult. The situation could hardly get any better.

As he began slicing through the crowd of lumbering oafs, he finally got a recall as the Kage Bunshin dispersed. It looked like the others were fine, but there was no sign of Rika yet. That wasn't much trouble though, after what happened earlier he was sure she'd be fine.

Suddenly he was stopped as for some reason, Eko stuck hard. Looking to his left, he saw the giant sword partially embedded inside one of the guards, who was gripping the blade tight in his hands. The ugly man grinned evilly at Naruto as the wound suddenly began closing, sealing Eko inside. The longer he waited, the stronger the hold seemed to get, but Naruto had other problems too. It seemed this had been a predicted outcome, as other guards suddenly rushed at him with roars of victory.

"_Be with ya in a sec!" _Naruto thought, sending Eko a message as he pumped Futon chakra into the base of the hilt. The guard who held Eko trapped grunted in surprise as the blade shot through him. He fell to the ground, sliced in half like so many others.

Naruto whipped around, pumping his palms into the nearest crowd of opponents. The wind shot out with cannonball force, but with such a wide radius its range was shortened, serving only to knock the guards off their feet. Naruto made to run to the clearing, but then he suddenly had to right himself as he felt something grip his leg.

"GET O-" he began, preparing the kick the owner of the hand holding his ankle hard. But he paused in shock as he recognised the person as the one who had gripped Eko with his own gut. To his shock, he was still coming after Naruto even after losing his legs. There wasn't even a trail of blood, the wound appeared to have sealed over in a white flesh of some sort.

Naruto's thoughts cleared for a moment and he looked around. Now that he paid some attention, he realised something shocking. These bulky, lumbering forms that he had had no trouble against weren't guards at all. _They were the test subjects._

"… _What the hell is going on?" _Naruto thought, momentarily stunned from shock. The subjects were all relatively human looking, though each was either bulky or misshapen. They each had yellowing skin, and saliva pouring out of their hanging mouths. Then something came to his mind, an answer in the midst of madness, _"The containment rooms!"_

Once more the masses converged on him, and he was forced to act. With a blast of wind he threw himself into the air, leaving the newly dismembered arm that had held his leg to fall to the ground. He then pulled out four kunai with tags attached to the end and hurled them in every direction. The tags exploded moments after contacting the ground, resulting in the entire floor caving in to the lower level. Naruto watched from his place on the ceiling as all the victims of the cruel experiments fell down the rubble below.

"_Who the hell would do this kind of thing?" _he thought, biting into his thumb. He drew a quick seal onto the ceiling and formed a few hand seals, before Eko was removed from his place in the wall and sent flying back into Naruto's hand. The blond quickly turned around and left the room, as the subjects wandered around for a way out.

He left into the hallway, where things had quietened down. It looked like there was no one in sight. He looked through the window to his left down into a large empty room, there was absolutely no one in sight. But that troubled him more than anything, and he began running once more at top speed.

"_Where the hell are the guards?!" _he thought, as he bound down the silent corridors.

* * * * *

Utakata and the others ran down the hallway, each one listening to the pounding footsteps in the distance. It sounded like the guards had found them regardless of Naruto's efforts, and they would soon be in for a fight. Haru took the lead with Rika behind and Yuuka farthest back. Utakata watched their formation, he already had an idea about which role belonged to which person.

"Here we-" Haru began, as the guards began to appear at the end of the passage.

"GET DOWN!" Utakata yelled, cutting of Haru suddenly. Instinctively the three Ame nin hit the floor as Utakata dipped his bubble blower into his solution and raised it to his lips. Gripping it between his teeth, he flew through a series of hand seals to fast to make out, before settling on the rat, "Bubble Blizzard Jutsu!"

A barrage of bubbles fired from the tip of his tool as Utakata let out a strong exhale through it. The countless bubbles tore through the air, stretching and thinning as the solution made them harden. As the majority of the guards appeared, they were all assaulted by a barrage of glass-like senbon.

"GO!" Utakata yelled, as he prepared his next solution. Haru and Rika wasted no time in getting to their feet, the former rushing the guards that had taken cover behind the wall while the latter disappeared into the vat room to the left. Yuuka and Utakata were the only ones to stay behind, but Utakata was also making his way forward, "You're not helping?"

"Oh, well, I'm only a medic-nin, and not a very good one." Yuuka replied, watching worriedly as her sister and team mate took the enemy on from both sides, "I'd only get in their way."

Utakata frowned at her as he applied some new liquid to his solution, shaking the flask firmly. Haru appeared at the end of the corridor, wielding a pair of spiked brass knuckles that he hadn't possessed before. It looked like he was on the defensive, and had already received a cut to his arm that made Yuuka squeak.

"Come on, you're helping." Utakata announced, grabbing her wrist and making her run alongside him. She gasped from shock, but did her best to keep up as they drew nearer. Utakata dipped his tool in the solution before gruffly thrusting it into Yuuka's hand, "Channel your chakra into your lungs, then when I give the signal pump it all out into this!"

"O-ok!" Yuuka replied, as Utakata released his grip and started running through hand seals. She did as she was told and raised her free hand in a single seal, while the other held the bubble blower in place between her lips. Up ahead, Haru was holding off a pair of guards pressing their kunai against his brass knuckles when he spotted the two approaching.

"Yuuka, what're you doing?!" he exclaimed, as he was pushed further back. But before a response could be given, Utakata hurled a kunai with an explosive tag between them, and the three Shinobi immediately dodged out of the way. There was no explosion however, only confusion was a result. Utakata flew through hand seals as he and Yuuka tore around the corner, the short girl standing in front of the tall boy.

"Bubble art: Great Foam Prison!" Utakata called, quickly placing his palms on Yuuka's head. The girl felt the chakra in his hands and took it as the signal, beginning her sharp exhale as she felt her own chakra mix with Utakata's.

In a mere moment, millions of tiny bubbles burst from the tool, flying at the guards in a torrent of non existing wind. The two guards who were taking on Rika looked back in surprise as she dodged away, realising too late what was going on. The four enemies were suddenly engulfed in a wall of bubbles, trapped inside the growing mass. As Yuuka's breath finally ran out, the Jutsu was complete and the foam had hardened.

The silence felt as solid as the white wall now between the two sisters, there wasn't even any moans coming from the guards. Yuuka lowered the bubble blower from her lips, looking at what she and Utakata had done in surprise. The older boy stepped around her, regarding the foam prison with interest. He rapped his knuckled against it, and didn't even leave an indent in the surface.

"Good job." he said, smiling as he turned back to look at Yuuka. He took back his bubble blower and slipped it into his sash, before placing his hand atop Yuuka's head again. The lavender haired girl looked up at him in surprise, still shocked by what had happened, "If you are a member of a strong team, you can't possibly hold your team mates back."

Yuuka blinked up at Utakata as he removed his hand, she was caught a little by his words. Haru and Rika both appeared not too far away, listening silently as Utakata spoke.

"I'm a hunter-nin." he continued, smiling warmly to Yuuka as he announced this, "If I'm against a team of Shinobi, my greatest worry is if there's a medic amongst them. Because they're the only ones who can reverse whatever it is that I do."

He then stepped past Yuuka, towards Haru and Rika. Though neither gave a clear sign, he was empathic enough to tell what they were thinking. He simply stepped past them, descending down the steps to the room below, "These vats are all getting power from somewhere, there has to be a mainframe or something that's running them. If we get there, this entire place will be open to-"

"Utakata!"

Everyone looked to the doors at the end of the room in surprise. Panting, and covered in sweat, Naruto had appeared with his hands on his knees. Rika, Yuuka and Haru each descended the stairs as Naruto made his way towards them, wiping his brow with his arm in the process.

"Naruto, you ok?" Utakata asked, as the five ninja converged. Naruto gave a nod as he caught his breath, straightening up as he looked past his partner. He spotted the three Ame nin and grinned at them, giving a thumbs up as he finally settled down. But then he turned serious again, looking to Utakata with a creased brow.

"We gotta be careful though." he said, jerking his head to the vats around, "They let a bunch of the test subjects out when the alarm sounded. But something isn't right. Even though I cut them down, they kept on coming."

"_What_?" Utakata asked, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. But then something sparked in his mind, and his eyes widened suddenly, "What was it like? Their wounds I mean."

"They just sorta healed over real quick." Naruto replied, with a shrug. Utakata didn't appear satisfied with that however, he moved past Naruto and headed towards one of the vats. Leaning against the cold metal, he looked up at one of the subjects hanging suspended within.

It was a woman, with the same ragged look the other subjects had. She was lacking mutations, with flaps of skin on her otherwise gaunt face marking the only change. He raised his knuckled and tapped the glass hard, his eyes fixed on the face of the woman. After a moment, her eyes opened just a slit. But even though it was only a little, it was enough to cause a reaction. Utakata stepped back, his teeth clenched as he stared at the face in near horror.

"What is-" Naruto began to ask, but he stopped short of himself. Utakata's eyes rose to the ceiling, to the network of pipes and wires all heading in the same direction. As soon as he confirmed where they were going, he ran past Naruto and the others to the staircase up ahead. Naruto looked at his partner in alarm before he and the others hastily followed him.

The dark haired boy flew up the steps and past the wall of his Jutsu, up another flight that led to an even higher level. He could clearly see the large metal doors at the top, and judging from the cables above him this was the place he sought. He rammed the doors hard and pushed his way through, suddenly enveloped in the darkness within. Naruto and the others followed him inside, hearing him muttering to himself in a hasty tone.

"Come on, where the hell are the lights?" he murmured, searching along the walls. He must have found something in the dark, because following a grunt from him the lights high above suddenly burst into life. Naruto, Rika, Yuuka and Haru made it into the room just in time to be bathed in light, and a sight that made even Naruto stand rooted to the ground.

Utakata looked around at them as he realised their stance, before seeing that they were all staring in the same place. Slowly, he turned his head around, his pupils shrinking as his fears became true.

At the far side of the room, in the biggest vat any of them had ever seen in their lives, there was a giant red orb floating in the liquid inside. Utakata stepped away from the lever on the wall, his mouth hanging as he stepped towards the giant thing. As he neared it, he came to a stop. The giant orb moved, turning around and revealing an amethyst ring, with a black dot inside. It was then that everyone realised this was no orb; it was a giant eye.

"Orochimaru…" Utakata breathed, his voice failing to carry even to his comrades ears. But then his words rose in pitch, his voice cracking as his iris bled from brown into a golden colour, "_I'll kill him_!"


	19. To bring down a curse

I had to pull out all the stops to get this one done in time. It's twenty to five in the freaking morning, you guys better be appreciating this! literally the first thing I'm gonna do after I post this is turn everything off and see if I can make it to my bed. Anyway, at long last, here you go.

Disclaimer: Did Kakashi Gaiden technically count as a spin-off?

* * *

**To bring down a curse**

Naruto stared hard at Utakata, seeing the slight changes that Rika and the others may not have noticed. The giant eye in the vat was fixed upon the angered boy, the pupil shrinking and growing as it studied him. Utakata had his own eyes fixed upon it, the irises changing to a golden hue as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Head for the exit." Naruto said, looking back to the three Ame nin behind him. They were all still staring at the eye in shock, barely hearing what he was saying, "I sent a Kage Bunshin to clear the way, things are gonna get messy here."

"Yeah… he's right…" Haru agreed, slowly drawing his attention away. He looked to his two team mates seriously, turning around as he was about to descend the stairs, "They aren't here… let's go."

"But-" Yuuka began, looking back at Haru worriedly. However, when Rika gripped her sister's shoulder and shook her head, she conceded. The three of them turned and headed down the stairs, while Naruto and Utakata stood in silence.

The blond boy walked quietly towards his partner, stepping over cables that led from control panels to the giant vat ahead of him. He stood beside Utakata, and the eye started focusing on him too. It darted back and forth, looking at the two boys with no indication of its thoughts. But despite this, Naruto couldn't help feeling the eye was trying to communicate something… but what?

Then something else caught his attention. Something floated by, just beneath the eye. It was a leg, drifting by aimlessly. As he focused, he could find other body parts too, another leg, a pair of arms and a torso. Almost a complete body rested beneath the giant red orb, separated and pale looking. All that was missing was a head.

"Utakata…" he said, in a quiet tone. He looked to his left, fixing a hard stare on the dark haired boy. He then asked, as carefully as he could, "What _is_ this?"

Utakata hesitated with his answer, cracking sounds coming from his throat as he tried to contain himself. But with Naruto's soft voice, he managed to calm down just a little. He lowered his eyes away from the cause of his anger, taking shallow breaths as he stared at the ground.

"It's the Sanbi's right eye." he said, his voice darker than usual. Naruto blinked and immediately returned his attention to the eye above them. He had never himself witnessed a Biju's true form, but this was just an eye?!

"How is that possi-" he murmured, leaving his words hanging. But then he suddenly understood Utakata's feelings a little better, and he looked to the boy again, "What happened?"

Once more Utakata took a pause, though this time it wasn't to calm down. His eyes flitted across the floor, a look of unease suddenly adorned on his face. His hands clenched tight into fists, his knuckles whitening from the grip. In the end he conceded, letting out a breath of defeat.

"For the past twenty years, the Mizukage has always had the Sanbi." he said, his voice surprisingly calm despite the way he stood, "When the Sanbi was first sealed away, it had both of its eyes. Now it only has one. That means sometime in the last two decades the Mizukage was attacked, and that eye was able to be taken from the turtle."

He then looked straight at Naruto, his golden eyes looking surprisingly soft considering how hard his heart must have been beating. Naruto found himself drawn to them, as if breaking contact would be the same as hitting the fellow Jinchuriki.

"You have Hoshigake Kisame-san as your sensei, so I know there's probably no way to deny it." he said, his calmness deteriorating as he quickly turned away, "For the past twenty years, the Mizukage has always been Yagura… but at the same time, it hasn't."

Naruto glanced at the vat as he heard a thudding sound. One of the arms had moved to the glass and struck it, making the dull sound that echoed ever so slightly. He couldn't help but think that it was the eye that had done that, there was scarcely a way for the arm to gather enough speed to make such a noise on its own. That didn't exactly help with what he was thinking, but he had other curiosities to deal with right now.

"Does Yagura-san's age have something to do with the test subjects here?" he asked, as the arm drifted away again. He waited several seconds for a response, but when none came he looked at Utakata. The older boy stood shaking lightly, his anger getting the better of him again. Naruto let out a long exhale, before placing his hand on Utakata's shoulder, "What do you wanna do?"

"Right now?" Utakata asked, looking back almost nonchalantly. He wavered with his decision for a moment, glancing off into space before speaking honestly, "I sort of want to tear this place to the ground."

"Heh." Naruto chuckled, clapping Utakata on the back. He then turned around and looked all over the room, a smirk spreading across his face. Reaching into his sleeves, he pulled out a bunch of explosive tags from the weapon holsters hidden within. He held them in the air as Utakata watched him, a questioning look on his face, "Let's get to it then."

* * * * *

In the midst of the cold metal ward, white Zetsu slowly began to stir. His skin immediately blanched and his hair turned a shade of green as a large jagged leaf grew out of the bed and over his head. Slowly he opened his eye, the yellow lantern fading in and out of focus as he reoriented himself.

"**Finally awake huh?" **black Zetsu said, from the other side of the awakening Shinobi. White Zetsu smiled weakly, letting out a steady exhale as he breathed the disinfectant air, "Regretfully… **Think you can move?**… It's worth a shot."

"I wouldn't recommend it." called the doctor at the desk in the far side of the room. White Zetsu looked at him with a raised brow, he was surprised that there was another person here, "Though your black side has been fully mended, you are still recovering."

"**Huh, did he refer to me as "**_**your **_**black side"?"** black Zetsu asked, the pair turning their head to look at the physician as a smile appeared on white Zetsu's lips, "I wouldn't be so inconsiderate, we are quite hungry."

"Yes, I've been alerted to your atypical diet." the doctor replied, idly flicking through the pages of the newspaper on his desk, "Unfortunately your digestive system will take a while to recover, so solid food is an absolute no."

Zetsu watched the indifferent physician with tired eyes, normally that line would be enough to silence any non-Shinobi. It only served to bug him that in this case it was unsuccessful, and having this piece of dietary information passed on didn't help much either.

"So what did I miss?" white Zetsu asked, settling back down and staring at the ceiling. True to what the doctor suggested, he didn't quite feel like he had it in him to get up anyway, **"**_**He**_** has sent the Ichibi and Sanbi after the one who attacked us.** Is that so? Heh, send an insomniac and an amnesiac to do what an anthropophagic couldn't. **You think that's funny? **A little."

The doctor let out a slight sigh, he was already getting tired of this monologue, duologue, whatever this was. He idly turned the page, doing what he could to ignore his patient as he read. Zetsu noted the sigh with a smirk, he was tempted to challenge the doctor's orders on the contents of his menu. But he resisted, this was one of the few people Akatsuki could rely on for medical assistance at the moment.

"Ahh… how boring." white Zetsu said, resting his head back on the pillow, "Still, I'd like to repay that person myself. **Well unfortunately the decision isn't yours.** What a bother, don't you think we could convince Mad-"

White Zetsu suddenly cut himself off, his brow rising in surprise. Black Zetsu looked curiously, wondering why his other half paused so suddenly. But then white Zetsu relaxed, a smile appearing on his face, "Ah, I must be getting nostalgic." he said, closing his eye for a moment. Black Zetsu regarded him curiously, but in the end he let the thought go.

"**I'm sick of this place, I'll do the moving."** he announced, as the two of them suddenly began descending into the bed. White Zetsu offered no complaint, giving merely a sideward look to the doctor as they began to leave the room. The doctor just waved them away however, apparently he didn't care enough to try and press his suggestions further. That disappointed white Zetsu, as he and his other half vanished completely.

* * * * *

Naruto, Utakata, Rika, Yuuka and Haru each walked away from the mountain at a leisurely pace, no one in any rush to get back to Ame. Behind them sat a Kage Bunshin of Naruto on the stairs, looking bored as he waited for them to make distance. Utakata had for the most part calmed down, his eyes were back to their normal shade at least. But he stayed pretty quiet, his eyes far away to some other place.

Naruto glanced over to the three Ame nin walking beside him, he still didn't have much of an idea as to what they had been doing here in the first place. But judging from the looks on both of their faces, their failure at whatever they were doing had hit them hard.

"So you wanna do it now?" Naruto asked, looking back to his partner. Utakata shook his head, jerking his thumb back to the mountain behind them.

"There's a lot of sulphur back there." he said, in a rather detached voice, "As soon as the tags explode there are gonna be fires, and when that happens the air will get very toxic. We'll need to make some more distance first."

"Sulphur?" Haru repeated, looking back at the mountain with a frown. Then something snapped in his head, and he looked at the twins lividly, "THAT WAS A VOLCANO?!"

"It's not an active one!" Rika hotly replied, "We're nowhere near any tectonic plates, so nothing could've happened!"

"Ah, you suck!" Haru groaned, gripping his head tight. Yuuka remained silent while her two team mates argued, as she usually did, "Draggin' me along on this stupid hunt, nearly getting us killed, and comin' out with nothing to show for it! Hyakume-sensei is gonna kill us!"

"Will you quit complaining?!" Rika exclaimed, with a cross look. Naruto and Utakata both watched the heated exchange, their own situations forgotten for the moment. Utakata shook his head, and began fumbling with his phials and flask as the two lower level Shinobi kept at it.

"Rika, Haru didn't _have _to help us." Yuuka said, speaking up for the first time. Rika looked at her sister with a creased brow, a little annoyed that she had taken the other side. But after a few seconds she let out a sigh, before looking to her other team mate again, "Right, sorry. I'm just annoyed that nothing came up."

"…It's fine." Haru replied, looking away. Utakata paused as he looked at the two of him, his phial half tipped to his flask. He watched them with a raised brow, noticing a slight tint to the colour of Haru's face, "We should have told sensei."

"I know." Rika sighed, hanging her head in shame, "But sensei is about the only person who wouldn't let us go if he knew."

The three of them fell silent, none of them looking to be in the best of spirits. Utakata however seemed pleased, there was no need for him to intervene. He replaced the cork back in his phial and slipped it away, before slipping his hands behind his head.

Naruto looked to the group they were currently travelling with, he wasn't quite done with him yet. His stare was noticed by Rika, who looked at him questioningly, "So you wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Hold on a second, that's our question!" Haru said, looking at Naruto sharply, "Things were going fine, then you two show up and suddenly the whole thing goes down the drain!"

"Were you on a mission?" Yuuka asked, looking past Rika to Naruto. Seeing no reason to deny it, Naruto gave a nod of reply.

"Yeah, the _higher ups_ of Ame wanted the two of us to check the place out." he replied, stressing the point to test something. His suspicions were confirmed when all three Shinobi suddenly paled, looking at him with wide eyes, "I take it Ame doesn't know too much about this "mission" then?"

Guiltily, Rika and her team mates each fixed their eyes on the ground. They were each worried about their situation, no doubt there would be an even worse repercussion awaiting them than they had anticipated. However, their discomfort, Naruto still awaited a response.

"What _does_ Ame know?" Utakata asked, deciding to help out on this one. It was Yuuka who responded, looking up with worried eyes.

"Not very much." she said, in a remorseful tone, "They just knew that we would be following a lead on… well."

"We're looking for our brothers." Rika continued, as Yuuka became quiet once more. Naruto got a brief flicker of memory, with him speaking to Yuuka and her father Kohaku about something like that. He became more serious at that time, he understood what was going on now, "We got a lead that they were involved with some guy named Orochimaru, so we did some searching and found that place back there."

"Oh, yeah." Naruto said, with an uncertain look. He didn't want to seem like he was changing the subject, but he needed to. He looked to Utakata, pointing back to the mountain, "I didn't put too much into the Kage Bunshin, we'll need to do it soon."

Utakata glanced over his shoulder, the mountain was still in clear view and still too close for comfort. He considered it for several long moments as he and the others came to a stop, before he let out a reluctant nod, "Ok, but we're gonna have to move quickly."

"Got it." Naruto replied, taking a kunai with a flare tag attached to the end. Though he used little to no effort, his throw sent it high into the sky. Moments later a bright pink light and red smoke erupted in the empty air, making only a faint sound like a sack of flour hitting the ground and breaking. This sound was followed moments later by a deep, distant rumbling sound coming straight from the mountain. The group looked at each other, before they hurried off down the path ahead.

* * * * *

_Drip… drip… drip…_

_Fzzzzz…_

Pein slowly opened his eyes, viewing the dark cave from his place amongst the rock spires around him. Stalagmites rose from the ground as stalactites lowered to meet them, water dripping from the tips and into the pools below. There was no atmosphere to this place, no breeze to be felt and no scent to brag the nose's notice. This was because he wasn't truly there, he was nowhere near in fact. He stood with a translucent silhouette, only the clouds on his cloak and his eyes having any real shape. The rest of him was scattered colour, his body resembling more of stained glass than a living being.

_Fzzzzz…_

Slowly, other figures like Pein's flickered into existence, appearing where they had not been before. First was a form greatly resembling Konan's, taking her place close to Pein. This was followed by what appeared to be Itachi and Kisame, partially obscured by the spikes in the ground and ceiling to the left. On the right came Deidara and Sasori, their stout and skinny forms coming into view as they stepped forward. Straight ahead came more of the sound, followed by Kakuzu's sole emergence. He looked around for a moment, before glancing to his right.

"The ring you idiot!" he growled in annoyance. Moments later Hidan appeared too, shooting Kakuzu a dirty look. It was ignored however as a new sound came into existence. In the midst of the circle of Shinobi, Zetsu rose from the ground, the leaves on his head closed as he crawled higher.

"Hey, Zetsu no Danna, you recovered already?" the form of Deidara asked, looking to the rising Shinobi passively, "I heard you'd be out of it for a while."

"**I can move plenty for the both of us." **black Zetsu replied, as the two sides fully emerged. White Zetsu did look rather tired, but aside from that there was no indicator of any health condition, at least none that was visible. The other Akatsuki member could hardly say he was looking pale, could they?

"Anyway, let's get down to business." Pein said, attracting attention to himself, "With the success of the recent missions Akatsuki now has enough capital so that we can move onto the second stage. From here on out we shall perform missions for sixty five percent of what the hidden villages would charge."

"Sixty five percent?" Kakuzu repeated, his eyes narrowing in distaste. No one was surprised that he was the first to object, but none made any sign indicating such a thing, "Who would take an organisation seriously if they charged at a price like that?"

"Our previous work ought to attest to our abilities." Sasori replied, giving Kakuzu a sideward look. He then turned his attention to Pein, speaking as gruffly to his leader as he did his fellow member, "This will be to attract employers to using Akatsuki, right?"

"Yes." Pein replied, with a nod, "We shall change the flow of missions going to the Shinobi villages and direct them towards Akatsuki, where we shall use the money we have gained to make up for the low amount we charge."

"Damn it, is someone gonna tell me what the point to all this crap is?!" Hidan demanded, looking to each of the silhouettes around him for an explanation, "First we go around doing all sorts of missions from any crooked bastard who'd pay us, now we're gonna give those assholes a fucking discount?!"

As was common during these meetings, Hidan was for the most part ignored. He was a new member to Akatsuki and as such knew little about its inner workings. Though he was very outspoken about his opinions, he rarely had enough information to accurately form them. In the end though, Pein decided now was near enough for an explanation.

"Akatsuki's aims are divided into three steps." he said, focusing his eyes on the questioning Jashinist to make sure he was paying attention, "We have already passed through step one and attained a vast amount of wealth. Step two is what we shall be beginning as of now. Once Akatsuki has secured its place in the interests of all of the Daimyo we shall build a mercenary organisation led by each of us, and the Jinchuriki who join us.

"With those forces we will become a strong power, and sell our services to the highest bidder, we shall create wars and monopolise them. Then when the time comes, Akatsuki shall become the greatest force in this world and control it completely."

Everyone listened intently as Pein spoke, though they had heard this speech once, twice, even three times before, they were still drawn in by the idea Pein portrayed. Even the initially objective Kakuzu possessed a glint in his eye, though he remained stoic as ever. The only people whose reactions didn't follow this pattern were Konan, Itachi and Hidan. However in Hidan's case, the reasons were very different.

"… Eh?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing in confusion. He stared at Pein, with a look of someone who thought he'd misheard, or otherwise didn't quite want to believe what his ears had told him, "You mean to tell me, that all this shit we've been going through, your ultimate plan is _world domination_?"

"My reasons are my own, just like with you." Pein replied, his tone holding no implications, but at the same time taking command of the conversation, "What each of your reasons are, they are enough that you are willing to fight for them. To that end you are willing to go to war for them. Once Akatsuki has achieved its goal, all of your own shall be realised. Even yours Hidan-san."

"Tch." Hidan grunted, narrowing his eyes. He didn't like being singled out like that, or the condescending nature in which it was done. He could tell just from a glance that Deidara and Sasori were both thinking of him whatever Pein had subtly said, just looking at them pissed him off.

"Sasori-san and Deidara-san, the two of you shall seek missions in Kaminari no Kuni." Pein continued, looking to the two most argumentative members of Akatsuki. Sasori and Deidara both turned their eyes to Pein, now that they had their orders they were keen to move on, "Kumogakure has great fiscal strength, we must take our time wearing that one down. However Itachi-san and Kisame-san will work in Tsuchi no Kuni. Iwa is much less stable economically, but their forces are enough to keep the Daimyo's favour. Show him why he is incorrect to think in such a way."

The four aforementioned Akatsuki members each nodded, before disappearing in the same way they had first arrived. All that was left were Pein, Konan, Zetsu, Hidan and Kakuzu. Zetsu's presence held little relevance however, he very seldom went on missions relevant to Akatsuki's direct goals. But in this situation his presence was necessary.

"Judging from the other's missions, probability dictates that you will be sending us to Hi no Kuni, am I right?" Kakuzu asked, looking straight at Pein, "Since it has the highest population, spreading the word about Akatsuki should be a simple case."

"That was my original intention, but no." Pein replied, earning a cocked brow from Kakuzu. Even Konan seemed unaware of what he was talking about, judging from the glance she gave him, "It is time for us to seek more Jinchuriki."

* * * * *

Gaara and Yagura stepped through a quiet village resting deep within the trees, a quiet community free of the litany of complications in the world outside it. The vulture Hagetaka had recently taken perch on Gaara's shoulder, squawking indicatively as they entered the peaceful parish.

Their journey had been quick and their interaction to a minimum. Yagura had taken Gaara's lead and remained silent for most of the trip. Unfortunately, he wasn't the sort to admit his needs, and so had waited until Gaara suggested they rest. As of so far, they were yet to stop for anything longer than to grab a quick meal.

It struck him as odd however, the strangely driven attitude he had noticed Gaara to possess on this mission. It was different to the last mission they took together, as if in that time something had changed. in all honesty he was rather curious as to what that was.

They walked through the market district of the village, where stalls were set up selling mostly produce. There was hardly place for excessive trade here, the stalls seemed to be placed in want of real shops, not to push their wares closer to the public's attention.

Nearly all eyes glanced to the ugly bird Gaara carried, which by extension drew eyes to the boys in general. It was true that even for Shinobi Yagura and Gaara were the sort to stand out, and in this place they were far from an exception.

"Are visitors really _that_ rare?" Yagura thought aloud, glancing back at the people watching him. It bugged him that these people seemed to have nothing better to do than watch a couple of people passing through, regardless of how noticeable they were.

"Not at the moment." Gaara replied, coming to a stop at the end of the street. He kept his eyes fixed ahead, but his attentions belonged in every direction. Yagura came to a stop too, though a couple of steps ahead. He looked at Gaara, as the red haired boy voiced his thoughts, "He's here."

"What, already?!" Yagura exclaimed, taking a step back from surprise. He had been anticipating at the very least a week long journey, this was far from expected. Gaara's eyes left the street and met Yagura's fixing a serious stair between the two Jinchuriki.

"I can handle this on my own, you get some rest." he said, before taking a left and heading down the side street. Yagura's brow creased suddenly as he stood stunned, even though the mission hadn't gone on very long he still thought he ought to see it through to the end. But Gaara had worn a look in his eyes that compelled Yagura to stay put, an idea he couldn't reject for some reason. And by the time he had passed it, Gaara was already gone.

"… I'm never gonna understand that guy." he muttered, before looking around. He knew almost for certain that the person they were chasing was in this village. He still possessed the piece of paper with the sketch of that person, searching for him ought to be easy. After a brief moment, he decided he would investigate himself.

_Grmmm._

Though, he would probably search in the general direction of a café, restaurant or other such place.


	20. Style of the waterfall

As it turns out, lying in bed for hours trying to get to sleep is great for planning a chapter. I managed to get five pages done in 2-3 hours that way. Lucky bastard's getting such an early update, well anyway, be sure and give me some reviews for when I get back from college ok?

Disclaimer: Any opinions on the certain person who shows up would be much appreciated.

* * *

**Style of the waterfall**

The sound of crashing falls echoed everywhere in the dense trees, surrounding the group of Shinobi moving through. The damp earth and moss covered roots trailed their footprints, five pairs of feet tracking through as the owners headed on a direct course.

Naruto and Gaara walked side by side, with Yagura and Utakata not far behind them. The four Jinchuriki followed Zetsu, who kept a small distance ahead of them. He had led them all the way out of Ame to a country to the north of the five nations, and apparently was dissatisfied by their means of travel.

They had left just a few hours after Gaara and Yagura's return, which had been rather sudden by anyone's reckoning. But as soon as the reason for their abrupt departure was revealed, no one had any complaints to make. Well, discounting Yagura that is. He was hardly a surprise however, and Utakata had been quick to shut him up.

"_We got any leads on this one?"_

"How do we know who we're looking for?" Naruto asked, as Eko's question raised his own curiosity. Zetsu glanced back at him, the white side raising a brow at the question.

"**I'll show you once we find someplace suitable."** black Zetsu answered, as the two halves looked ahead again. In the meantime, white Zetsu decided to give some details, "Her name is Fuu, and she is the Jinchuriki of the Nanabi no Kabutomushi. She is a Genin of Takigakure, but has never been allowed to participate in the Chunin exams."

"So there are women Jinchuriki too huh?" Naruto thought aloud, with a slight look of surprise. Gaara raised a brow, looking to Naruto from the corner of his eye.

"You thought otherwise?" he asked, with an almost implicative tone. Naruto shrugged in response, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to Utakata and Yagura.

"Hey, after these two I was starting to see a pattern." he replied, unconcernedly. Behind him however, Yagura seemed to take offence to that.

"_Those two_?" he repeated, crossing his arms and frowning, "Since when were we so inconsequential?"

"Don't take it to heart." Utakata replied, looking a lot more relaxed than the person beside him, "Compared to Gaara-san, we're still pretty new."

"_**Anyway…"**_black Zetsu said with a tone of annoyance. The four younger boys' attention returned to the simultaneously bipolar Shinobi, awaiting whatever else he was going to tell them. It was white Zetsu who took over, continuing his explanation like there was no interruption, "Takigakure, being such a small village, has treated her with just as much animosity as any other village, perhaps even more so. The problem however is that with such a small village, we would be much easier to detect."

Zetsu came to a stop by a massive tree, the roots of which were growing over a large, flat boulder. Black Zetsu studied the boulder for a moment and nodded, before gesturing for the others to gather around. He seemed to have that this place was suitable for whatever he was going to do, and so prepared to do as he said he would.

"**This is all the information we have gathered on her."** black Zetsu said, as his eye began to flicker different colours. Each of the Jinchuriki placed their attention on the boulder, as an image appeared on the pale rock for them to see.

It looked like an identification photo, as expected it belonged to a girl. They all focused on the picture first, she was rather unusual looking when compared even to them. Her tea green hair was short and feathered, with a small clip holding her bangs in place. Her skin was tan and she had large round eyes with pink irises and no visible pupil. Since this was only a headshot, that was all they could see of her. But she had a sharp look about her, her thin brows angling down in a strangely challenging manner.

From what they could see of her details, there wasn't too much to go by. She seemed to be fairly proficient with ninjutsu, but lacking in Taijutsu and Genjutsu. Her ability with tools was around average too. However, what really caught their attention was the blood section.

"She has kekkei genkai?" Utakata asked, looking at Zetsu in surprise. The black and white ninja gave a nod of reply, the image jumping up and down in the process. As a result the image became distorted, and he had to pause to correct it.

"**It's a relatively new one from what we know."** black Zetsu explained, once the image was repaired, **"We don't have much information on it, other than opponents who enter close combat usually come out with something like burn wounds. Whether this is a Katon Jutsu, a poison or something else, all we can say is that no hand signs are involved, and there is no visible way that the ability is activated. So far only three other members of the clan she belongs too possess this ability."**

"Sounds pretty dangerous." Naruto muttered, studying the picture once more. It didn't seem like too much of a problem though, being Jinchuriki meant they didn't have to worry about mild injuries after a while. And if she was never allowed to take the Chunin exams, there was only so much experience she could possess.

"Only if you're dumb enough to stay in close range." Yagura replied, as he finished studying the image. He turned away, looking at the path they were heading, "So it's down this way right?"

"If you wanna die." white Zetsu replied, looking at Yagura and smiling menacingly as black Zetsu cut the tape, **"There is only one known entrance to Takigakure, and that is the giant waterfall in that direction. Taki has a division that uses the waterfall to detect intruders. Go through there and they'll immediately know we're coming."**

"So what then?" Yagura asked, looking back with a creased brow. Zetsu gave Yagura an expectant look, waiting patiently for something from the boy. Yagura however had no idea what the look was for, which only heightened his confusion.

"… Over there." Gaara muttered, looking straight to a place not far to Zetsu's left. The white side gave a smirk and a glance as he and all the others looked to the same place.

Deep amongst the thick roots of the enormous tree, there was a hole roughly the size of a man. The root seemed to be completely hollow, and had been for a while. Naruto, Utakata and Yagura each made their way towards it, sticking their heads in and looking down either side. There was no way of telling how far it went, the root dug deep beneath the earth and didn't seem to rise again.

"So this is how we're getting in?" Utakata asked, lifting his head out of the hole and looking back at Zetsu questioningly, "Where does it come out?"

"**According to Kakuzu, it will take you into a pond in the outskirts of the village." **black Zetsu replied. This earned surprised looks from each of the Jinchuriki, they had been wondering how a tunnel straight into the village had gone undetected, they hadn't expected it to head underwater though, "Kakuzu and Hidan are gonna use the main entrance. Kakuzu may be a missing-nin from there, but it's been such a long time they'll take a while to realise who he is. **You'll use this distraction to make yourselves less conspicuous.** Hee hee, speaking of which."

White Zetsu reached deep into his cloak, pulling out two packages wrapped in brown paper and plastic. He tossed them both over to Naruto and Utakata, both of whom grabbed the packages with confused looks.

"**You two look ridiculous, you'll get noticed right away." **black Zetsu said, amidst white Zetsu's quiet laughter, "Make sure and change once you're out of the water!"

Neither Naruto nor Utakata seemed too impressed by Zetsu's suggestion about their dress sense, and both suddenly gave the packages reluctant looks. But in the end they both sighed, they knew Zetsu probably had a point.

"If we're going underwater, loose clothing would just weigh us down." Naruto admitted, as he slipped his haori off. But when the snagged on Eko, he realised he would also have to drop the blade too. Walking with him was one thing, but he doubted he would even _fit_ in the tunnel with Eko on. He looked to Utakata as he fully removed his haori, for some reason the older boy had a strangely embarrassed look about him, "C'mon, you'll get nowhere with that thing on."

"Yeah… bad idea." Utakata muttered, giving Naruto a pointed look, "I think I'll go in last."

Naruto and Yagura both gave Utakata confused stares for several moments, before something clicked in their heads. In an instant, they both found interest in other things, quickly averting their gazes from the indecent Utakata.

"**Anyway, I'll stick around to watch the passage, while one of you keeps an eye on the main entrance." **black Zetsu said, as both he and his other half slowly sank into the ground. White Zetsu decided to add one last helpful note before disappearing completely, "There are transceivers in the package, if you already have one leave them behind and used those."

Moments later the only people left in sight were the four boys. Gaara joined them by the root, glancing in and then around as each of them looked to one another. Yagura let out a sigh, before turning around and steadily walking off, "I'll cover the entrance then."

"Hold on." Naruto called out, with a frown on his face, "If we're going underwater, Gaara can't use his sand."

Yagura came to a stop once again, looking back as he saw sense to this. Gaara however, reached behind him and unclipped his gourd, allowing it to fall down the earth with a heavy thud.

"I'll be fine." he said, as he removed his muffler and climbed into the root. Yagura gave a shrug and continued on his way, while Naruto and Utakata just watched as the red haired boy disappeared into the darkness. Deciding there was nothing that could be done, Naruto shrugged and gripped the package between his teeth as he followed his friend. All that was left was Utakata, who began to do what needed to be done.

"Man, there better not be anyone else taking a swim in there." he muttered, as he untied the sash to his kimono.

* * * * *

The giant crashing falls that made the entrance of Takigakure obscured an opening that led into the hidden village. Not far from the falls there stood a guard post, with a single Shinobi sitting inside with a bored expression. With an entrance that was almost impossible to differentiate to any other waterfall in a twenty mile radius, his post was barely necessary and far from interesting.

He let out a sigh, resting his chin in his hand as he idly watched the falls to his right. The Taki emblem on his forehead protector lightly reflected the cascading water, as did his brown, complacent eyes. He seemed to be caught almost in a dream; one would almost think that he would miss it if someone was to walk right through the falls he fixed his eyes upon.

This theory was disproved however when someone _did_ come through the falls. He snapped to an upright position and immediately locked on to the approaching shadow in the water, watching steadily as the figure took form and left the falls behind.

Drenched to the bone, and with a fake forehead protector, Kakuzu stepped into the village that had once been his home. He carried in his hand a small cloth bag, containing something that had died the bottom red. The guard watched as Kakuzu approached him and flopped the bag onto the desk before him, leaving a small puddle to splash across the wooden surface.

"The bounty liaison here?" he asked, speaking directly to the wide eyed guard. The guard looked up at him in surprise; it was unusual to bring bounties into the village rather than to a station somewhere else. But then Kakuzu raised the bag indicatively, letting it turn lightly in his hands, "I have one who could be of interest to a few clients, but the autopsy team may want to take a look at it first."

"Oh, right." the guard said, settling back into his chair. It made sense when put like that, if it was a Shinobi's head that was the contents of the bag, "Yeah, it's been pretty quiet so you should be able to just head straight in."

"Thanks." Kakuzu replied, as he stepped away from the guard and made his way inside. The guard watched as Kakuzu headed away, and once he was sure there was suitable distance, he took his transceiver and raised it to his mouth. Not only was Kakuzu aware of this, but he had been counting on it.

"Damn it you bastard, when the hell are we gonna be done here?!" called a muffled voice from the bag. Kakuzu took the bag and lightly struck it across his hip, causing the head of Hidan to collide with his pelvis, "FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

* * * * *

Utakata stepped out from the shadows of a building, dressed in a baggy black shirt and beige slacks. He let out a sigh as he joined Naruto and Gaara on the waterside, looking to the blond boy resting against the tree that loomed over the pond they had come in here on. They were both dressed exactly the same.

"Geez, what person would come with us when we look like this?" Naruto muttered, giving Utakata a passing smirk. The brown haired Shinobi smiled and nodded, he had been thinking much the same thing. He then looked down at Gaara with a raised brow; the more stoic of the three of them was crouched down on the ground, raising his hand expectantly.

"Kunai." he said, as he pulled his sweater and waistcoat off in one move. Underneath it he wore a tight fitting black shirt with short mesh sleeves. He took the sweater and turned the thin inside out, revealing it to be lined with white plastic bags. Naruto watched incredulously, where those what he thought they were?

"Here." Utakata said, lifting his shirt behind him to get access to his concealed weapon holster. He took out a kunai and handed it to Gaara, who quietly accepted it. Both the standing boys watched as Gaara took the blade in hand and tore a hole in one of the bags. True to Naruto's suspicions, sand poured out of them, dry like it was straight from the desert.

"Wow… you swam here with bags of sand." Naruto said in a faint voice. He hadn't known Gaara to be that strong, for how long had he been underestimating his quiet friend? Gaara however seemed to think nothing of it, but Naruto could just detect a hint of pride from the normally unreadable boy.

"It's my reserves." he said, as he continued to cut several more of the bags open. He left about half of them intact before he placed his hand into the pile of sand in front of him. He concentrated for a few moments, before taking his hand from the pile and straightening up. The sand followed his hand, lifting with him and spreading across his arm. By the time he had stood up, his sand armour was intact again, the rest of it coiling around his shoulder and waist to form what looked like a rather heavy sash.

"I must say, that's very impressive." Utakata commended, as a slither of water resembling a bead of sweat slid down his temple. Gaara gave a nod in reply, before taking a look around the place they had resurfaced.

There were no large buildings anywhere in sight; any that they could see amongst the trees were small and humble looking. They all stood out with their orange slated roofs, not one of them seemed the least bit official. But at the same time, it was tough discerning one place from the next due to this similarity; it wouldn't be easy to navigate here.

He raised his eyes above; there was one noticeable feature however. A tree of immense proportions, its branches spreading across the entire village and covering it in its shade. The only sunlight was what broke through the leaves, leaving the village in a constantly dim state. Taking that into consideration along with the entwining trees that formed the outer wall of this peculiar place, it seemed almost like this village had been grown in this way.

"Anyway, think we should split up?" Naruto asked, straightening up off the tree. He already had his fill of the scenery, and was ready to move on to the mission at hand, "A group of three is gonna stand out a lot more than if we're just on our own."

"You're right." Gaara agreed. He took the earpiece transceiver that Naruto had given him and slid in place, allowing his hair to hide it from view. Naruto and Utakata did the same, making sure they had the correct frequency before they turned away from each other, "Report in every half hour."

"Got it." Naruto and Utakata replied, with a sharp nod. The three of them then walked away in completely separate directions, the only strange things being their wet hair and the clothes they left behind.

Gaara made his way around the pond, not caring to do something as obvious as walking over it. He was still coming to a decision about this place; he hadn't yet formed an opinion. He took in the ever present smell of damp wood and the sound of the chirping birds from high above. This place certainly seemed peaceful, no matter how abnormal the very slight breeze seemed to be.

He, just like Naruto and Utakata, had already considered his primordial problem. It wasn't that they would have difficulty finding someone in an unfamiliar village, that was something else altogether. What not a single one of them knew however, was how they would find a _girl_. Utakata aside neither Naruto nor Gaara had had very much contact with anybody over the past few years, a fact Gaara had quickly gotten used to. However it gave a disadvantage in this situation.

"_Now if I were a girl…" _he thought, before hastily halting that thought. He had suddenly recalled the time Kisame had made Naruto show him every Jutsu the boy knew. It was one of the few times that Gaara had seen Kisame actually beat Naruto to a pulp, that Jutsu that made him shudder even now. So instead, he focused on another thought, one that might not be so disgruntling to bear, _"Where would Temari go?"_

* * * * *

"_How long is this gonna take?" _Yagura thought, kicking a stone across the dirt as he walked at a leisurely pace. Having only a vague idea of where the entrance to Taki was, he had head in that direction since departing from Utakata and the others. However it seemed that was an error in judgement, surely he should have found the place by now?

He checked his transceiver again, making sure he had the correct frequency. Either he was out of range, or there was as of yet nothing to report. He let out a sigh; he was fast growing tired of this mission.

But then there came the sound, he realised he was nearing a waterfall. He looked up ahead with a hopeful expression, had he finally found that damned doorway? But there was nothing in sight yet, just a thicket of trees blocking his view to the source of the sound.

He stepped to the edge of the thicket, carefully peering through for any sign of guards. He was disappointed however; the waterfall he had happened upon was much too small, it was just a cascade pouring over some rocks into a river below. However after a fleeting glance he realised that there was in fact someone here, _"No way…"_

Up ahead there was a girl standing atop the rocks by the small river. Though she had her back to him, he could see by her tea green hair and tanned skin that she bore a great resemblance to the girl Zetsu had shown him and the others. Though it seemed impossible, what were the odds of encountering her _outside_ the village?

Quietly he stepped closer, doing his best not to alert the girl ahead of him. He lightly scanned her body, taking her dress into account. He could see the long white arm protectors she wore as she stretched her arms high into the sky, letting the water from the falls spray her lightly.

She had on a small white top that cut off most of her midriff, with a mesh undershirt compensating to leave only her stomach and lower back bare. The clothing she wore on her lower half was much the same, a short white skirt with mesh leggings reaching just midway down her thighs. Her white sandals were soaked from the water of the falls, but she hardly seemed to notice.

Yagura stepped out from the thicket, frowning at the girl curiously as he drew nearer. He was becoming more and more certain that this was the person they were looking for, but also more and more certain of the impossibility. He was just about to call out to her to check, but then she started crumbling into a pile of dirt.

"_What?!"_ Yagura thought, brow creasing in shock. Before he had a chance to react, he felt something sharp penetrate his leg. Looking down, he caught sight of what looked like a dart embedded in his thigh. Cursing, he pulled the dart out and leapt back, but to his shock the poison on the dart was already having effect. He had lost all feeling in his leg, and quickly fell to the ground with a thud, _"Shit!"_

Suddenly the earth beside him exploded, and he was caught in a whirl of dirt and limbs as within moments, he was pinned to the ground by the very person he had been watching. He glared up at her, how could she have gotten the drop on him like that?!

He could see now, there was no mistaking it. This girl was definitely Fuu. She looked down at him with a glare of her own, her pink eyes looking surprisingly threatening when caught in the shade of her brow. He struggled to break free of her hold, but her grip was surprisingly strong.

"Why are you-" she began, before stopping mid sentence. She stared down at Yagura, her brow raising as she blinked, "Huh?"

Yagura frowned as she removed a hand from him and reached for her pouch behind her. She took out a small pocketbook and flipped it open with her single hand. She then studied the book closely, her brow creasing again before finally shooting back up, "You're the Mizukage!" she gasped.

Yagura instinctively took advantage of her surprise, twisting his entire body and forcing her off of him. Fuu cried out in shock, her book flying from her hand as Yagura grabbed her wrist. In moments their positions were completely reversed, with him pinning her to the ground.

"What the hell are you attacking me for?!" he demanded, glaring down at her angrily. But his look subsided to a frown when he saw not surprise on the girl's face, but embarrassment. Her cheeks were reddening quickly, mixing strangely with her skin as she stared at Yagura with wide eyes.

"Mizukage-sama… this position…" she breathed, her voice squeaking slightly from shock. Yagura's frown deepened as he looked down at their bodies, and realising that he lay with both his legs between hers, certain areas almost coming into contact.

In an instant Fuu's embarrassment passed on to him, and he yelped before throwing himself off of her. This didn't work well for him however, as his still dead leg gave under him and he fell to the ground once more.

"Fuck…" he swore, gripping his leg in annoyance. He raised himself up onto his elbow, wincing slightly from a scratch he had taken in falling. He then looked to Fuu, and once more he was hit with a sense of confusion. Not only was the girl no longer on her back, she was now on her knees, bowed down before him.

"Pleasedon'thavemeexecuted!" she said, as a single word. Yagura stared at her incredulously, was this girl for real?! She repeated the phrase twice more, her head bobbing as her voice shook in fear, "I didn't mean to- I thought you were a perv- ah!" she gasped, snapping up with her hands flying to her mouth. She looked at Yagura again, the stern look from before had disappeared completely, "I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

"What the hell?" Yagura muttered, sitting up. He was fast questioning this girl's sanity, could this person really be in the same situation as him? "First you attack me, then you apologise?"

"No no, I wasn't!" Fuu hastily exclaimed, waving her hands indicatively. But then she came to a sudden pause as she realised Yagura was trying to get up. She hurried to her feet and ran over beside him, hooking his arm over her shoulders, "Let me help you!"

Yagura begrudgingly accepted her assistance, leaning on his one good leg as Fuu led him to the rocks by the river. It was there that she helped him down to a seated position, with him resting his arms on his legs for support. She then quickly stood a few metres ahead of him, her hands held tight behind her back as she stared worriedly at him.

Yagura let out a breath, he was glad to be able to catch some peace after that moment of insanity. Fuu took another meaning from it however and squeaked worriedly, she seemed to be drawing rather drastic conclusions in her mind.

"Anyway, you're name is Fuu, right?" Yagura asked, raising his eyes to look at the girl. Fuu seemed momentarily caught off guard by his knowing her name, but she soon got over it as she hastily nodded, "Great."

Fuu blinked in surprise, looking down at Yagura with a raised brow. He was staring intently at her, his amethyst eyes looking straight into her coral ones. A passing breeze in Yagura's hair made her cheeks tint pink again, his piercing gaze making her feel rather self conscious.

"I need you." he said, in a soft voice.


	21. A moon half full

Woo! Another early release! Don't get used to this! I've taken the reviews into account and think I managed to push Fuu in the right direction, i'm just glad I didn't have to wait for a certain someone to tell me how bad I screwed up. Anyway, my taxi for college will be here any minute now, so I'll just post, leave and come back to an inbox full of reviews!... please?

Disclaimer: Do you think the Aburame's insects do their business while still inside their hosts? Guess that means Shino really is full of it.

* * *

**A moon half full**

Yagura and Fuu stared intently at each other, the passing breeze lifting their hair and moving the fallen leaves along. The straw haired boy watched the tanned skinned girl, as her cheeks tinted a deeper shade of pink with every passing moment.

"You… need me?" Fuu repeated, her voice almost a whisper. Shocked as she was by the sudden appearance of such a person, she was stunned even further by his direct announcement.

"Yes." Yagura replied, with a confident nod. He leant further forward from his place seated on the rocks, the waterfall behind partially obscuring his words, "I came here for you, and I'm willing to do what it takes to convince you to come with me."

From his words, Fuu's reaction met its optimum. She hastily turned on the spot, not wanting her red cheeks to give away more than they already had. She could feel Yagura's eyes still upon her, making her feel jumpy and nervous. But he seemed in no hurry to avert his gaze, and in fact it began to feel even more piercing than before. She then heard his sigh, and turned her head just enough so that she could see him from the corner of her eye.

"You have ties to this village?" he asked, rising slightly from his slumped position. He let one arm hang loose by his side, his eyes lifting once more to look straight at Fuu, "Would it be so bad if you were to leave Taki behind?"

"Well… no." Fuu admitted, touching her fingers together as she bowed her head. She was getting a strange feeling, how did he know her feelings? She still felt a little shy under the newfound situation, and she didn't really know what to say, "But… to join Kirigakure?"

"No, that's not right." Yagura said, earning Fuu's eyes once more. He straightened up completely now, removing his staff and placing it down on the ground for support, "We couldn't go to Kiri, since I am no longer a member of that village."

"Huh?" Fuu murmured, turning back around to look properly at Yagura. She was shocked by his statement to the point of wondering if maybe she was imagining all of this, "What do you mean?"

Yagura grunted as he lifted himself to his feet, using his staff as a cane in place of his still numb leg. He looked to Fuu seriously, making sure that they were at least on eye level as he told her the reason for his coming here.

"You and I have the same problem." He said, in as meaningful a tone as he could muster. The feeling was slowly returning to his leg, and with it the feeling of static running across his entire lower limb, "The village always turned their back on you, didn't they? I know what that's like, because I-"

"No, that's not right." Fuu interrupted, with a sudden smile. Yagura gave her a peculiar look as he paused, her mood had changed suddenly once again, "My family was very supportive of my independence, as soon as I was old enough they had me move into my own place! My landlord also makes sure I stay busy by calling for rent without warning!"

"But that-" Yagura began, his brow creasing again. But once more he stopped himself short, he realised there was something rather insincere about the smile Fuu was giving him. He regarded her for a moment, so this was a façade? Or did she just not want to see the truth? In any case, she clearly didn't want to admit to another solution. He recollected himself, before giving a slight smile of his own, "Then they would probably support you if you chose to leave, right?"

"Hm?" Fuu murmured, cocking her head curiously. Her eyes distanced for a moment as she considered what Yagura had suggested, before her expression brightened, "Yeah, I think they would!"

"Oh… that's good to hear." Yagura replied, with a feigned look of gladness. Fuu seemed to react positively to it, her smile spreading even wider, "Then… will you come?"

Fu blinked again, staring blankly at Yagura as he posed the question once more. Just like before her face flushed and she turned on the spot, her back to him yet again, "Yep!" she squeaked in a high pitched voice. Yagura's shoulders slumped as he let out a breath of relief; that had been easier than he thought it would be. Fuu took a step forward, before speaking up again in an equally high voice, "Just um… let me get some stuff first ok?"

"Sure thing." Yagura replied, as Fuu began to walk away in a daze. He called out to her however before she could get too far away, "Also, you think you could just slip out? It'd be a problem if you got noticed."

"Ok!"

As Fuu disappeared amongst the trees, Yagura sat back down on the rocks. He had been expecting the mission to be a lot more complicated than this. It was unfortunate for Fuu, but it seemed that her problems had worked in his favour. He waited just a minute longer, before raising his fingers to his transceiver, "Hey, it's me."

* * * * *

"_I… find Fuu… coming… hurry… get out."_

"Hm?" Naruto murmured, twiddling the dial on his transceiver as he tried to get a better signal. It sounded like Yagura was trying to tell him something, but the signal was disrupted. He frowned as he replayed the words in his head, trying to figure out what he had said, "I saw something, find Fuu, they're coming, hurry and get out?" he muttered, before his brow snapped into a high position. He was warning them! _"Shit!"_

He looked around rapidly; if they had been found out then he would have to risk being a little more obvious in his actions. He headed into an alley before taking to the rooftop, beginning his search from there. He reached up to his transceiver again, searching for Gaara and Utakata.

"Hey guys, did you get that?" he asked, as he hopped from one roof to another. He listened out as he scanned the streets, awaiting a reply in the hope that one of them had gotten a clearer signal than he did.

"_No, what's going on?"_ Utakata's distorted voice asked. Naruto's brow creased in annoyance, he had thought Utakata was the closest to the main entrance. So that begged the question as to where Yagura was by now.

"_It wasn't clear, but it sounds like Yagura-san has encountered Fuu." _Gaara's voice called out. Naruto's brow rose in surprise, he could see that Yagura could have said that instead. But what did that mean, did he manage to convince her? _"But the end was obscured, I can't say what happened."_

"Think we should head back?" Naruto asked, dropping down into another alley and hiding in the shadows. He kept his eye on the street to his left, he didn't want to get noticed if they had already succeeded.

"_Worst case scenario, Yagura found Fuu and she resisted, called for guards and now they're coming for him and us." _Utakata replied, giving careful thought to his words, _"But if he managed to get her to come with us, then there's no reason to stay. In either case, it'd be best to leave for now so we can reassess the situation."_

"_That's right."_ Gaara agreed, creating a majority rule. Naruto paused for a moment, looking up and down either side of the alleyway, before giving his own words of confirmation. He then took his hand off the transceiver and casually headed out into the street. He almost fell over however as someone collided with him the moment he stepped out.

"Ow…" Naruto muttered, taking a step back and rubbing his shoulder. Before him was a girl about a head shorter than him, gripping her nose and moaning herself.

"Sorry!" came the girl's muffled voice. She looked up at Naruto from behind her hand, her brow raising as she realised he was staring at her, "Uh, you're not hurt are you?"

Naruto blinked in surprise, his first thoughts being that Gaara must have misinterpreted the message. It didn't look like Yagura had encountered, Fuu, because she was standing right here, shrugging a large red backpack back into place. That could only have meant then that what Naruto had thought was-

"HEY!" yelled a merchant at a stall behind Naruto, reaching out to grab a child who had stolen a loaf of bread. Naruto jumped in shock however, and instinctively reached into his pouch.

"Sorry!" he hastily said, before lashing out and pricking Fuu in the neck with a senbon soaked in a sedative solution. Fuu only had time to look surprised before the drug took affect, and she began to fall forward. Naruto wasted no time in turning on the spot and taking her on his back, before he began running through the streets like his life depended on it.

People watched as the strange train rolled through the street, a blond boy carrying a familiar girl on his back while she herself had a large rucksack strapped to her. They followed with their eyes as he passed by, wondering what on earth he could be doing with _that_ girl.

"_Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!" _Naruto thought, as he darted into the alleyway. He hadn't looked back yet to see if he was being pursued, he just did his best to slip away. He absolutely couldn't afford to get into a fight right now; he needed to move as quickly as possible.

He ran out into a small outcrop of trees, and leapt up into them for a hiding spot. It was there that he came to a stop, silently looking around for the exit, and any signs of followers. It seemed he was in luck however; no one had come after him. What was more, from his position he could see the pond they had snuck in with just a few streets away.

"_Just to be safe." _He thought, slinging Fuu's arms around his neck. He then raised his hands into the crossed seal, before speaking out quietly, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Behind him appeared four copies of him, two of which quickly transformed into replicas of Fuu. They then hopped onto the backs of the unchanged Naruto's, and the three groups split up in separate directions, the originals heading for the pond while the copies made for the streets.

Flitting through the alleys and tree hidden paths, Naruto quickly made his way to the pond. Though his Kage Bunshin were intended to act as a distraction, he didn't want to deny the possibility they would give him away too.

Finally he reached the pond; arriving by the tree he had left his slacks. He could see Gaara and Utakata arriving from two places not far away, and so he placed Fuu down at the tree as he awaited them. Once the three were reunited, they all looked down at Fuu.

"Was she resisting?" Gaara asked, looking at Naruto curiously. He still recalled his version of Yagura's message, so this was the only way the state of the girl made sense to him.

"She looked like she was in a hurry, I took a chance." Naruto replied, shrugging with a blank expression, "It was just a sedative, so she should wake up in a while."

"Looks like we're gonna be needing these." Utakata said, taking his bubble blower and flask from the waistband of his trousers, "She'll need air and something to keep _that_ thing in."

Naruto and Gaara nodded as they crouched down next to Fuu, removing her rucksack and taking it aside. Naruto took his sodden slacks and used them to tie around the strap of the rucksack. Utakata then used his solution to blow a pair of bubbles, one enveloping Fuu's head and the other growing and surrounding the rucksack. Once Utakata had taken Fuu onto his back, he and Naruto took to the water. Gaara followed them after grabbing his sweater and slipping it back on. Soon the four Jinchuriki were back inside the tunnel, and making their way to the meeting point.

* * * * *

Fuu slept a dreamless sleep, experiencing a kind of peace that was rather rare to her. Her breathing was easy and her body relaxed. However, something far away was disturbing her pleasant rest. It was the sound of voices, muffled by her own lethargy, that were slowly becoming clearer and less ambient.

"YOU KNOCKED HER OUT?!" yelled a voice, the first one that really became clear to her ears. It sounded vaguely familiar, though for some reason she couldn't quite recall why, "I TOLD YOU SHE WAS WILLING!"

"HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!" yelled another, more energetic voice that Fuu didn't recognise in the slightest. She was growing slightly bothered by the interruptions, couldn't they just let her sleep in peace?

"Hey, guys, something's wrong." came a third, quieter voice that felt closer than any of the others. Though the noise still disturbed her, she was glad it was at least quieting down, "Hey Naruto, show me that senbon you used."

Fuu was hit with another wave of drowsiness, she felt like she was about to sleep again. The sounds around her became distorted, blissfully so. She relaxed again and allowed herself to drift-

"What the- this is _way_ too strong!" exclaimed the third voice. Fuu felt like crying as sound returned to her again, what idiots were making this racket? "Here, give her this!"

"_Huh?" _she thought, as sense returned to her. She finally began to wonder just what was going on, and tried to open up her eyes. But she couldn't, her eyelids just felt too heavy, and her will wasn't strong enough right now.

"How?" asked the second voice, surprisingly close to her now.

"There's no choice." said the third voice, in a serious tone, "You're going to have to transfer it with your mouth."

Even though she couldn't have moved if she wanted too, Fuu froze. What was he going to do with his mouth?

"WHAT?!" the second voice exclaimed, just as shocked as she was. Fuu paused her efforts, was the person going to refuse?

"_Please oh please oh please!" _she thought, as her nerves began to rise. Several seconds of complete silence passed, and Fuu began to wonder if maybe she was asleep again. She waited silently, listening out for the slightest sound. She nearly gasped when she felt strong hands grip her arms, but thankfully it seemed to do the trick. Though it was with difficulty, she managed to open her eyes. But what she saw made her nearly want to pass out again.

A blond boy had his face uncomfortably close to hers, his eyes narrow and his puffed up cheeks red. Fuu could see his pursed lips moving dangerously close to hers, and in an instant her instincts took over.

_Thud_.

The boy's eyes widened as he experienced sudden agony. A sharp intake of breath forced him to swallow the contents of his mouth, his eyes rolling back into his skull as he fell over to the ground beside Fuu. In an instant the girl pushed herself away, backing up against a tree as she stared in shock at the boy curled up and clutching his groin tight. Not far from his position there was another boy on the ground, though rather than being in pain, he was laughing so hard he had to grip his sides.

"Idiots."

Fuu whipped her head up to her right; she hadn't noticed that there was someone beside her. For the first time since she woke up she felt relief, finally it was someone who she recognised.

"Mizukage-sama!" she called up, a look of relief on her face. Yagura stood beside her, his arms folded as he watched the now conscious girl with his usual expressionless eyes.

"I told you, I'm not the Mizukage." he said, failing to respond to Fuu's happy look, "Besides, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but-" Fuu began, before giving Naruto a sharp look. The blond still lay on the ground, clutching himself in the foetal position.

"…Why?" he breathed, his eyes bugging out as he rolled slightly in the dirt. Everyone else ignored him though, as Gaara entered the area.

"Kakuzu-san and Hidan-san have both left." he stated, giving only the most fleeting of glances to Fuu, "Zetsu-san will meet with us soon."

Fuu followed the red haired boy with her eyes, taken in by his strange appearance and the gourd he carried on his back. She then looked to Naruto, who was still huddled on the ground, Utakata, who was wiping tears from his eyes, and Yagura, who wore just as flat an expression as Gaara. She began to wonder just what she had gotten herself into when Yagura reached out with his hand.

"Come on." he said, gesturing for her to take his help. Fuu stared at his hand for a moment, before bashfully accepting it. He pulled her to her feet before letting go and heading over to Naruto, "Quit complaining, we gotta move."

"…_Cool."_ Fuu thought, as she watched the straw haired boy help Naruto to his feet too, before he thumped Utakata on the arm. He then followed Gaara, who was already making his way away. As Utakata moved to do the same, Fuu realised they were leaving and hurried after them.

"Hey uh, Fuu-san." Naruto called from behind her. Fuu came to a stop, pausing for a moment before shooting Naruto a dangerous look. From the earlier attack, Naruto instinctively flinched from that look, but he raised his hand too, "Here."

Fuu raised her borrow in surprise as Naruto handed her backpack over to her. She took it in her hand as he passed her, following him with her eyes as he went after the others. She was taken off guard; didn't she just render him immobile a minute ago? And yet now he walked like it had never even happened. She stared at the back of his head, her brow creasing into a frown.

"Hey Fuu-san, come on!" Yagura shouted, looking back at her. Fuu blinked stupidly, she hadn't realised he had gotten so far ahead.

"Ah, hai!" she called back, before running to catch up with him. This time it was her who passed Naruto, and the blond who was left looking after her. However in his case he wasn't wearing a frown, but an exasperated look.

"_She doesn't like me much, does she?" _he thought, speaking to Eko as his expression turned tired.

"_Can you blame her? I'd have done worse if you came at me with a face like that."_

* * * * *

That night, they set up camp around an orange fire, the only thing between them and the stars where the leaves high above. With Kisame gone it had taken longer than usual to prepare dinner, but Naruto and Utakata came back little over an hour later with the blonde's arms literally full of salmon, each of the fish hanging off a line as he walked with his arms spread wide and his lips stretched into a broad grin. This earned even a smile from Yagura; even that stoic boy had a tough time maintaining his persona with a pair of clowns like those two around. And of course, Gaara's poker face was as flawless as ever.

Not long after, the smell of cooking fish mixed with herbs filled the air, bringing on a similar effect to the first meal Naruto and Gaara shared with the two former Kiri nin. Fuu's reaction was strongest, as anyone who was unfamiliar with Gaara's work was. She sat crouched before the fire, her finger in her mouth as she watched the fish she had secretly claimed as her own.

"…Alright." Gaara finally said, opening his eyes. In an instant both Fuu and Naruto lashed out with their hands, grabbing the sticks of impaled fish and biting in. Of course, in doing so they ruined the meal for themselves, the piping hot fish had rendered their taste buds considerably weaker, especially after crying out loud and trying desperately to bring cool air to their burning mouths.

The other three were wiser with their choices as they picked up the sticks and drew them away from the fire, letting the salmon cool in the passing breeze.

As they ate, Fuu became aware of a single extra fish, and wondered if perhaps those two, the blond guy and the brown haired guy, had gotten more than they thought they had. She gained a greedy glint as she chewed into her fish, failing to savour the flavour as she subtly tried to eat quicker than the others. However, she became increasingly aware of Naruto's speedy chews and hard swallows, had he reached the same conclusion as her?

"_Oh no you're not!"_ Fuu thought, as she began to eat faster. Naruto had already gained a considerable lead; she was surprised by just how wide that mouth of his could open. She began to experience a slight thrill of challenge, which replaced the greedy glint almost completely.

"_Why is she staring at me?" _Naruto asked, trying his best not to look at the transfixed Fuu. He was getting a nervous feeling, what was with that look in her eyes?

"_She's probably wondering if it'll be safe for her to sleep with you around."_

Naruto sulked behind his fish; it was times like these he wished Eko was made of something with nerve cells, so that he could feel the pain of a punch to the shoulder. As it was, he reasoned only to hesitate next time Eko was lodged inside of someone.

He finished his fish and discarded the bones, letting out a contented yawn. When he opened his eyes again however, he lost his tired feeling as he saw Fuu's hand sneaking towards the last fish. In and instant he reached over, lightly striking her hand with the tip of his stick, she pulled back sharply, giving him a challenging smile as she seemed to get an idea. She took her own stick and raised it to Naruto, like a strangely thin sword. Naruto gave her an incredulous look, was she suggesting what he thought she was?

"_Eh, what the hell?" _Naruto thought, mentally shrugging as he let out a smirk. He accepted her challenge, brandishing his own stick in a single hand. Kisame had trained him too well, even if it was like this, he couldn't turn down a fight requested in such a manner.

Fortunately, he had three years experience under his belt, even if of those three years his small weapons skills had waned. He stepped around the fire, his eyes locked on Fuu's as they circled each other, with the three seated boys watching curiously.

It was Fuu who made the first attack, and unfortunately it was her only one. Naruto easily sidestepped her and raised his hand high in the air, before bringing it down again. Once more the tip of his stick hit her hand, cracking like a whip from the impact. Fuu gritted her teeth, but the sudden and sharp pain forced her to let go of the stick.

"Hmph!" she huffed, crossing her arms and looking away from the fire. Quick though she may have been to try and sneak the fish into her grasp, the welt on her hand had made her reluctant to try any harder. Naruto shook his head, discarding his own stick as he picked the fish up from the fire.

"Yo, Zetsu-san!" he called out, tossing the fish high over the fire. Across the flames, stepping out from the shadows of the trees was the very person in question. White Zetsu grabbed the fish in his hand, though he didn't thank Naruto for it.

"Geez, you couldn't have gotten _someone _to follow you?" the paler side asked, looking displeased as he tore a chunk from the fish, **"We should have stuck with Hidan and Kakuzu, they had an entire team following them last time we saw."**

Naruto chuckled at the cannibal Shinobi's words, distasteful though his diet may be, he certainly made for an interesting conversationalist. His brow cocked however as he noticed Zetsu's attention turn to somewhere past Naruto, down on the ground. Naruto glanced back, realising to his surprise that the thing Zetsu was looking at was Fuu. The green haired girl had stumbled back onto her rear, and was pointing a shaking finger to Zetsu with a terrified expression.

"What the hell _is _he?!" she demanded, a cold sweat appearing on her brow. Naruto looked from her to Zetsu, the white side of whom was chewing on the fish while he watched her.

"Geez, this is just like three years ago, eh Naruto?" white Zetsu asked, looking to the blond with a smirk. Naruto returned a nervous grin, and then turned to say something to Fuu before the black side brought down the mood of the entire party.

"This is Zetsu-san, he works for Pein-san." he said, as he reached out and grabbed Fuu's wrist, hauling her to her feet, "And _they_ are pretty cool guys, so don't go pointing fingers at them."

"Huh, you hear that?" white Zetsu muttered, looking to the right corner of his eyes, "Apparently we're "pretty cool". **Whatever."**

"Anyway, so what now?" Gaara asked, while Fuu continued to stare stupidly, "We return to Ame, so Fuu-san can meet Pein-san?"

"**No." **black Zetsu replied, looking to the red haired boy with his masked face, **"You will speak with him **_**now**_**."**


	22. The distancing clouds

Well, there goes my morning release. Why is it when I have college I can wake up before my alarm, but at the weekend I'm dead until 1pm? So annoying... Anyway, I think I found a new pattern with my stories. Working on them so I can update first thing, then spend the rest of the say working on the next chapter has been working well so far, so I'm gonna see how long that keeps up. It also gives me a third day if i need it, without ruinging my two day update... whoa... I can take three days to release something with a two day deadline... I feel a little like Doctor Who.

Disclaimer: Apparently man is the only male mammal not to possess a penis bone. Do you reckon Kimimaro is the exception to the rule?

* * *

**The distancing clouds**

Naruto and Fuu both found a place to sit around the fire, watching quietly as Zetsu stepped closer to the spitting flames. White Zetsu finished the fish and discarded it, swallowing as he raised his hand into a single seal. He gave pause as he glanced around his company, making sure they were all ready. When it was confirmed, he channelled chakra into his ring, casting the signal he had been ordered to send.

The calm of the night was suddenly disturbed as amidst the flames appeared a flickering silhouette, of the person known as Pein. Fuu was shocked once again as she thought for a moment that a ghost had appeared; she suddenly huddled up and pressed her back to the tree. But when she came to realise that the others were watching the spectral figure, not fazed for a moment. In fact, they all seemed to straighten up under that figure's gaze.

The figure's eyes suddenly snapped to Fuu, who flinched from the sudden attention from the unearthly form. For some reason, only his grey rippling eyes seemed fully visible, she could see a misshapen Zetsu behind him. Nonetheless, from the subtle looks she received from Naruto, she too straightened up, though she didn't feel the slightest bit better about the situation.

"So you are Fuu-san?" came a distorted voice that must have belonged to this Pein person. She felt his eyes scan her body, and she did what she could to resist shivering. This person was very creepy, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Fuu faltered, blinking in surprise. She hadn't known what to expect, but for someone to say something like that to her, there was only one way she could react. She quickly got to her feet, her hands slipping behind her back as she smiled to Pein.

"Nice to meet you too!" she said, giving the slightest of bows. Naruto, Utakata and Yagura looked at Fuu with strange eyes, what was with her? Pein however seemed to think nothing of it, as he bowed his head to her before turning to Naruto and Gaara.

"Now that the fifth Jinchuriki has joined you, it is time that I must tell you something." Pein said, the static causing his voice to hiss. Naruto and Gaara both creased their brows as they understood the serious tone, while Yagura, Utakata both looked uneasy. Fuu on the other hand had no clue about the situation, and was just bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. But Pein locked eyes with the two boys he was most familiar with, Naruto more prominently so, "You must not return to Amegakure."

Naruto and Gaara's frowns deepened from Pein's announcement, but Gaara's reaction was slighter. Naruto shot to his feet, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Not return?!" he repeated, thinking he had misheard, "What do you mean don't return?!"

"There was already a risk before, but now it is much too dangerous." Pein explained, undeterred by Naruto's sudden outburst, "Kiri will almost certainly be searching for their Mizukage, and with the disappearance of Fuu-san, including Gaara-san and your own absences, it will be impossible to mask Akatsuki's actions. It is for that reason that from here on out, Yoinokuchi will have no affiliation with Akatsuki whatsoever."

Naruto's eye twitched, but his expression fell to blank shock. He knew he shouldn't have been so surprised by this, maybe he should have expected it. But he couldn't really help it; this was a blow he hadn't anticipated. He calmed down though after a moment, he was ok now. Pein waited for this before continuing on, expecting no further interruption.

"You will continue to gather Jinchuriki as you have been doing, but you will have to do it on your own from hereon out." He said, turning around to look at Yagura and Utakata too, "Akatsuki will assist you only through indirect means. Our current mission will provide enough of a distraction to allow you room to work, and Zetsu-san will provide you with all the necessary information we possess. Afterwards however, you must work on your own."

"But…" Naruto began, at a loss for words. This was so sudden, they were on their own? How were they supposed to deal with that? "I don't get it…"

"You should be happy, Naruto-san." Pein said, looking to Naruto and speaking quietly. Naruto came to a pause at this statement, not having a clue what Pein was talking about. However, there was something of a meaningful look in those grey eyes that told Naruto he shouldn't even have to think to recall, "This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

The blond boy was silent, his lips parted as his brow creased further. This was… what he wanted? What was that supposed to mean, he- wait, he was talking about way back _then_? Naruto blinked as he thought back, he could barely recall the conversation that had started all this, and yet now Pein was bringing it up like this. It was a troubling thought; did Pein really take him seriously back there?

"_Man… hope I didn't say anything else to bite me in the ass." _he thought, before rubbing the back of his head. His brow and eyes screwed up as he thought deeply, before he let out a sigh, _"Ah well, no point complaining about it now."_

"If we are to do such a thing, we will need a base of operations." Gaara said, earning Pein's attention. The Akatsuki leader looked over to him, focusing his own eyes upon Gaara's.

"As I say, from here on out you act without Akatsuki's assistance." he said, in a direct tone. He paused however, considering something himself, before speaking again, "…However, according to Kisame-san not too long ago you evicted the tenants of a place that would do quite nicely."

* * * * *

And so that's how it was, quickly and suddenly Naruto and the others were forbidden access to Ame. Naruto had gotten over it faster than he thought; he hadn't much liked staying in a village again anyway. But he couldn't deny that this was an unfortunate situation. This time he hadn't even the chance to tell Rika and Yuuka he was leaving, he had a feeling they'd be more than a little upset with him for this.

He and the rest of the Jinchuriki stood at the base of what had once been Zabuza's hideout, looking up at the peculiar structure in silence. It had taken a week's worth of travel to get here, and the result was of divided opinion. Neither Yagura nor Utakata seemed too pleased that they would be staying in the place that had once housed a man they both despised, but they kept that to themselves. However they did make mention of one fact that was troubling them.

"What happened to the body?" Yagura asked, fixing his eyes upon the place he had seen Naruto kill Momochi Zabuza. There was no sign of a corpse, or the blade that had been discarded there.

"Maybe Kiri hunter-nin found and took care of him?" Utakata offered, uncertainly. The idea made sense to him, but there was an aspect of that which didn't really fit, "But it must've taken more than one person to get rid of that sword. I only know of a couple of guys strong enough to pick that up on their own, and neither of them were hunter-nin."

The two of them wore deep and troubled looks as they watched that place, but their attentions were soon returned to the moment as they heard the sound of footsteps on wood. Gaara and Naruto were already making their way up, with Fuu hanging back only to see what Yagura would do. The two Kiri boys followed the other two boys up the bridge, with Fuu just behind them.

She couldn't keep herself from looking around, this place was both creepy and cool at the same time, she couldn't decide which one was foremost in her mind. She was impressed with the place, even if it did seem to her to be basically a giant tree house. She didn't have a problem with that though; in fact she seemed to like it better that way. She couldn't help but smile, she had been in a rather good mood lately.

"We'll probably have to fix up any damages from last time we were here." Utakata muttered, with a tired sigh. He rubbed his head lightly, before looking up and raising his voice, "So what's the plan then?"

"We need to make sure this place will be suited to our needs first." Gaara replied, without looking back. He and Naruto didn't seem to share the troubled thoughts of Utakata and Yagura; they were having an easier time with this than was expected of them. But maybe that was due to their having lived in a detached manner for the past few years, "We'll also need to analyze the data Zetsu-san gave us, so it should be a week or two before we do anything definitive."

They entered the first floor of the base, and it was just as they remembered. Walking into the room Zabuza had used to meet with potential clients, they could see it was in the same condition as they left it. Though considering how empty the room was, that was hardly enough to evaluate from.

"Separate and check the place out, find out if there's anything missing, needing repaired, whatever." Gaara said, as he stepped over to the bar lined against the wall and took out a thick folder from his sweater. He dropped it on the wooden surface, before turning to face the others, "We have some money, but we may have to take on other mission too if we want to maintain a steady method of living."

"I think Zabuza kept his money upstairs." Yagura replied, as he turned around and made for the door, "I'll see if it's still there."

"Guess I'll check the food stores then." Utakata added, before heading for a room just to the right of the bar. Naruto and Fuu glanced at each other, before the two of them turned around and headed for the upper floors.

"Gaara-san is pretty organised, huh?" Fuu asked, watching as Yagura stepped out of sight. She and Naruto continued past him as he walked through the storage room. Glancing around the many crates that filled the area.

"Yeah." Naruto agreed, slipping his hands behind his head casually, "He knows what he's doing."

They continued to climb higher up the winding pathway that led around the building, making their way slowly to the top. Fuu kept a couple of steps away from Naruto, maintaining a slight distance with him. Though they seemed to have gotten on well in the past week, Fuu was still quite wary of him for some reason. He seemed to enjoy hunting for dinner better than eating it, and she had a hard time relaxing around someone who could wrestle with such _gigantic_ dogs.

"What's at the top?" she asked, raising her eyes to the ceiling. She could see the doorway upper most room at the end of the spiralling path, it seemed to be larger than the rest.

"Master bedroom." Naruto replied, scratching his ear with a bored expression. Fuu looked down at him with a raised brow, before quietly repeating the words he had spoken. A sly smile spread across her lips, and she suddenly began running up the path to the top.

"Call it!" she yelled, jumping up to the end of the path. She didn't even notice that Naruto wasn't trying to follow her, and just burst into the room with a broad grin on her face. The look certainly wasn't to last however, and Naruto knew exactly why.

He joined her in the wrecked room, looking over the slashes across the walls, ceiling and across the bed with a look of pride. Fuu shared no such response, her jaw had dropped as she realized just why Naruto had been in no hurry to claim this place.

"Yeah, I sorta passed through here when I took on the owner." Naruto said, clapping Fuu on the shoulder as he turned around and made his way back to the path, "Enjoy."

"Hey!" Fuu cried, whipping around and glaring at Naruto accusingly, "You knew that was gonna happen!"

"You don't want it?" Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder with an insincerely innocent look that made Fuu fume. He gave himself away with a grin as he turned ahead and continued on down to the lower level, waving back as he descended, "Check the damages would ya?"

"What're you gonna do?" Fuu asked, frowning as she watched him skip the next level down, the one she thought he was going to check out.

"I gotta get Akira and the others to mark the place so they can keep an eye out." Naruto replied, as he began to disappear from sight, "Not much left to do here, so I'm gonna do some training."

Moments later he was gone, leaving Fuu on her own. The green haired girl watched the place he had been with a raised brow, she was actually feeling pretty curious, wondering just what sort of training he was planning on. However, interested though she was, she already had her task. Reluctantly she turned around and headed back into the wrecked room, regretting opening her big mouth in the first place.

* * * * *

Gaara sat on the stool at the bar, the folder before him opened and sheets of paper spread out in front of his eyes. There was an oil lantern that he had found placed on the table, lit so that he could see the contents more clearly. He had removed his muffler and rested his cheek in his palm as he looked over one of the files that had caught his eye. It was of a Shinobi from Iwagakure named Han, who was according to the file the Jinchuriki of the Gobi. Though there was no picture of the Shinobi, what had caught his eye was a small note scribbled on the bottom of the page.

"_You won't get this guy without my help. When you're ready, come find me- Deidara."_

Though he didn't know who this Deidara was, Gaara took the note seriously. In the case of all the Jinchuriki, even of Naruto and himself, there was little information. Anyone who knew something of value was someone he needed to find. But in this case, that person was a member of Akatsuki. Gaara knew that under this new situation they would most likely have to hire Akatsuki if he even wanted to just meet with this person. To that end they would need money, but how much, he wasn't sure.

Gaara looked up as he heard approaching footsteps coming from outside the room. He watched as Utakata stepped inside, heading straight towards him and gesturing back the way he had come.

"Yagura-niisan said there's a half million ryo up there." Utakata said, coming to a stop just a couple of meters away, "Zabuza probably kept the rest with an accountant."

Gaara nodded in understanding, he wasn't surprised that there wasn't much money here. Considering what an easy time they had sneaking in here last time, this place was easy to infiltrate. That was something he intended to change, but it was one thing in a steadily growing list of what they would need. He could understand Pein's reasons for making the decision he did, but he felt that some notice would have been handy.

"With the money we already possess, that gives us about three million." He said, turning his head back to the file, "We'll need more than that."

"So what do you think then?" Utakata asked, placing his hand on his waist as he glanced over at the files on the bar, "Should we offer our services to Nami no Kuni?"

"Nami no Kuni is friendly with Konohagakure, we can't risk getting noticed by _any_ of the hidden villages." Gaara replied, dropping the piece of paper he was holding back down onto the bar. He then sat back, taking a deep breath as he rolled his shoulder, "We'll have to act discreetly, so we'd be better off working privately."

"That's not exactly a great way to bring in money." Utakata commented sceptically. Gaara let out a sigh, Utakata was right. Those who hired privately were more likely to want discretion, so they would have a hard time finding clients in the first place. Judging from what he was looking at, their mission was going to be costly, "I can't help but wonder what was Pein thinking."

Gaara didn't answer to that. He himself knew exactly what Akatsuki's leader was thinking, to him it was clear as day. But there was no point in explaining it, it would only make things more complicated than they needed to be. Instead he turned his attention back to the papers, Utakata taking that as his cue to leave.

* * * * *

"HAAAAAH!!!"

Naruto threw his straightened hand into the tree before him, the spiralling wind around his arm striking the wood hard. Bark and splinters of wood flew in every direction as the intangible drill pummelled its way into the trees body. But just a few seconds after impact it faded away, leaving an ugly and jagged hole in the surface.

"DAMN IT!" Naruto yelled, punching the spot right next to where his Jutsu had struck. Sweat dripped down his face and trailed down his bare back, he had been at this for almost an hour now. The trees around him were littered with other holes just like this one, there were at least seven others, "Why won't it work?!"

He drew his hand away from the tree, noticing there were splinters embedded in his knuckles. His brow twitched in anger, his arm was going numb. He cursed to himself as he turned around and headed towards Eko, who was placed against an intact tree with Naruto's haori hanging off the hilt.

"_Why does it matter? Do you even _need_ a Jutsu like that?"_

"Yeah." Naruto replied, turning around and slumping next to the blade. He then raised his slightly injured hand so he could see the splinters, and with his other he tried to pick them out, "It's something Kisame-sensei decided a long time ago. I don't belong to a village, so I don't have a rank or anything. So he told me. He said that if I could create my own unique Jutsu for each rank, E through to S, _then_ I'd be strong."

Eko listened as Naruto spoke, watching as the boy stopped his futile attempt to rid himself of the splinters. Naruto was looking down at his hand, the nerves in his arm were recovering and he could feel every slight tense as static coursed through his limb. But he barely noticed it, he was too busy watching the chips of wood embedded in his fingers.

"I managed to make E, D, C and B-rank Jutsu." he continued, wincing as he flexed his fingers. Then his fist tightened again, and his expression was serious once more, "But I can't get this one right. I won't believe that all I'm capable of is B-rank Jutsu. I can do more than that, I know I can!"

"You sound pretty confident."

Naruto whipped his head up in surprise, looking straight at the two people emerging from the trees. Yagura and Fuu stepped into Naruto's midst, the former smirking while the latter just stared at Naruto with a raised brow.

"What're you guys doing over here?" Naruto asked, watching as they neared him. He noticed that Fuu's eyes flickered to his chest before she quickly turned away. He couldn't help but smirk at that. But his question was still raised, and he looked to Yagura for an answer.

"Fuu-san said you were training, and I got pretty curious." Yagura replied, with an indifferent shrug. But then the look in his eyes changed as he focused completely on Naruto's, earning the blond boy's interest, "We never got around to finishing our fight."

Naruto stared at Yagura with a confused expression that was also worn by Fuu. The two of them watched his expressionless face, which was failing to match the suggestions of his words. Naruto rose slowly to his feet, reaching just over eye level with the straw haired boy. Even then Yagura maintained his gaze, awaiting Naruto's response calmly.

"Our fight?" Naruto repeated, his brow raised in surprise. But as he let the idea sink in, it grew on him more than just a little. His lips spread out into a confident grin, his brow creased as he gave Yagura an equally intense stare, "You sure you can keep up with me?"

"We won't just be throwing Jutsu around baka." Yagura replied, his brow twitching in annoyance. He raised a hand to Naruto, indicating with his fingers that he was about to list something off, "There are conditions."

"Hm?" Naruto murmured, surprised by the mixed signals he was getting. But he was still interested, and was willing to hear Yagura out, "Like what?"

"Hey, can I watch?" Fuu asked, leaning in with a keen smile.

"Uh, sure." Yagura replied, glancing at her before regaining his demeanour. He looked at Naruto again and jerked his head back, gesturing for him to come along. Naruto did just this, and the two stepped into the centre of the clearing, "First condition, this is only for training purposes." Yagura said, as he came to a stop and turned to face Naruto, "Second, you may only use those Jutsu you were just talking about, the E through to B-rank ones. Third, use only your body, and do _not_ use the Kyubi's chakra."

Naruto gave Yagura a tired look, those were some pretty broad limitations. He could only use four Jutsu, each of which were his Futon ones. He couldn't even use Eko, he felt kind of at a loss. But at the same time he could sense the challenge, and that more than more than made up for the restrictions. Once more he let out a grin, he was definitely intrigued by this idea.

"All right." he said, rolling his head from side to side. He then took on a combative stance, moving one foot back while he raised his arms slightly so that his hands were level with his stomach.

Yagura gave a nod as he too prepared himself, removing his staff and tossing it aside. He didn't take on a combat stance, but he did have his hands ready at his sides. Fuu saw how this match was going to go and took several steps back so that if need be she could take cover behind a tree.

"Ok then, lets start." Yagura said, his eyes locking onto Naruto. The blond gave a nod in reply, he was ready too.

* * * * *

Nagato sat down in the basement of the tower, in the centre pod chair of the three available. He rested his chin on his knuckles, looking across to the broad mirror on the opposite wall. He couldn't help but smile, it seemed like he had thought of something rather funny. But he let the look die away as he sensed a presence, and put on the stoic expression he usually wore as Pein.

"Come up here Zetsu." he said, watching the floor in front of him. His eyes slowly rose as Zetsu emerged from the concrete, standing before the Akatsuki leader with a look to match Nagato's, "Well?"

"**They've settled in, looks like they're making preparations to secure their base." **black Zetsu reported, before white Zetsu decided to comment with a smile, "They were playing tree house, it was so cute!"

Nagato let out an inward chuckle, his lips turning to a cool smirk. He was used to white Zetsu's peculiarities, but recently he had come to enjoy them in a sense. However once more he was serious, there was another matter he wanted to discuss.

"And _them_?" he asked, his eyes fixed upon Zetsu's. The white side seemed to take particular joy at this aspect of the conversation, had they been saving the best till last?

"Wait until you hear this!" white Zetsu snickered, while black Zetsu added, **"There's been an interesting development."**


	23. A crashing cyclone of wind and water

Even though it was only a little, I'm annoyed that I needed to use the security day so soon. With my morning updates, I was given the rest of the day after my update to write as well, so I could still update every two days and have a third if I needed it. Still, I managed to get enough done last night so I only needed a few hundred words today. i successfully met my limit, and am posting while it's still morning, so yay.

Disclaimer: Do you think if a girl slipped rohypnol into Shikamaru's drink, would he even care?

* * *

**A crashing cyclone of wind and water**

Fuu sat on the bough of a tree, her legs dangling loosely over the edge as she watched the match below. Naruto and Yagura had both taken to using their shuriken and kunai, running around the area dodging and throwing.

Neither had made a successful hit, though Fuu wasn't really surprised. She had come to realise Naruto's speed not long after she joined the group. It was about the second day when she had challenged Naruto to a race to decide whether or not they used an inn or slept outside. Naruto had accepted the challenge and raced even with that blade on his back. To Fuu's annoyance, they slept outside that night.

"Man, this is bor-" she began, before a shuriken embedded itself in the tree just inches next to her head. She cried out in shock and nearly fell over, hanging upside down by her legs as she yelled out, "WATCH IT!"

Naruto sniggered, accidental though it had been the result was actually pretty funny. Her reactions were better than Yagura's anyway, so far the straw haired boy was yet to show more than a glassy look in his eyes. Naruto could tell the boy was concentrating, but did he have to act like he wasn't?

"_Ok, think this has about reached its limit." _he thought, before throwing down a smoke bomb. As soon as the purple fog had grown large enough, he allowed himself to disappear into the trees. He landed in a place well hidden amongst the leaves, his smirk fading as he looked to the spot where Yagura had been. To his annoyance, it looked like the other boy had also used the distraction of the smoke to hide away.

He took a pause, listening out as the smoke cloud expanded. He couldn't rely on his eyes; the foliage was too thick anyway. He needed to catch Yagura by ear; it was his only opening at the moment.

"_Where is he?" _he thought, scanning the trees as he listened out. If he hadn't been so conditioned otherwise, he would have closed his eyes to focus better. And such a thing seemed to pay off, as he was suddenly surprised by Yagura leaping out of the smoke with his eyes locked on Naruto, _"He was in _there_?!"_

He quickly leapt back into the trees, narrowly avoiding a swiping kick from the rapidly approaching Yagura. However, instead of maintaining distance, he aimed not to land on the tree behind, but instead pressed his feet against the side before launching himself back off.

Yagura crossed both his arms in front of his face to defend against Naruto's attack, failing to realise until it was already done that Naruto had deceived him. The moment his arms obscured his eyes, Naruto rapidly changed direction and darted off into the trees.

Yagura followed as quickly as he could, chasing Naruto through the trees as he tried not to lose sight of his opponent. The two of them flickered through the trees at great speed; the only real indicator of their presence was the scattering leaves as they burst through the sky high shrubs. Yagura was quick, but Naruto was fast. The former had to come to a sudden stop as a kunai unexpectedly flew past his ear, Naruto was behind him?!

He whipped around in every direction, searching for any signs of Naruto's presence. How could he have gotten back there without his noticing? There was no way he had set a trap, there wasn't the time. Did that mean he was really that fast?

"_Wait a minute."_ Yagura thought, pressing his back against the tree behind him. He looked around warily, checking above and below too, _"Even if this is just training, how could he miss a target that had his back to him?"_

That didn't make sense; it could only be a ruse. That meant that the kunai was never meant to hit him in the first place, and so could easily have been an imprecise trap. That didn't change his situation though, he needed to-

He whipped his head to his right, the smell of sweat catching his nose. It was steadily growing stronger, just what was Naruto-

"_FUCK!"_ Yagura thought, his head whipping in the other direction. Naruto had appeared right beside him, his leg flying straight for Yagura's head in a high kick. The straw haired boy barely managed to duck in time, the bark cracking from the impact of Naruto's leg. Yagura used his low position to dart out of the way, pulling out a pair of kunai and throwing them straight at Naruto, _"What was that?!"_

"Don't forget, I was trained by Hoshigake Kisame." Naruto said, smirking as he dodged the kunai and landed on a bough to his left, "E rank Jutsu, Futon: Misdirection."

"_He's showing off." _Yagura thought, spreading his arms to the side in preparation. Naruto did the same, his confident look remaining, _"Using the wind to change the direction his scent carries. Not bad for an E rank."_

The two boys stared each other down, their stances steadily lowering as they challenged the other to make the first move. Yagura had the disadvantage that Naruto was faster than him, but luckily Naruto had already gone through some pretty strenuous training beforehand. As a result, despite the blonde's arrogant look it was clear he was strained by the sheen on his chest and arms.

They moved, Yagura dashing to the left while Naruto headed to his right. Both of them ran parallel to each other, Naruto matching Yagura's speed as the straw haired boy ran through hand seals. Judging from the way he ran with his upper half directed towards Naruto, he was opting for offensive Jutsu.

"Suiton: Violent Water Barrage!" Yagura called, before spitting out dozens of combining water orbs. Naruto wasn't fazed by the unfamiliar attack however; he simply dodged them or used the trees to make a wall between him and them. Meanwhile he formed his own hand signs, before making a long leap through the air.

"Futon: Crescent Mirage!" he called, whipping around and throwing his outstretched hands in a rapid spin. Yagura's eyes widened as a large arc of wind suddenly flew from Naruto's hand, firing at him with dangerous force. He leapt clean over it, feeling the wind blast beneath his feet. But almost immediately after he was struck by a second, much smaller arc of wind, one that he had failed to notice.

"_Gah!"_ he thought, as he was thrown back by the force. Though this one was much weaker than the first, it was still enough to knock him off course. He fell through the air, plummeting down to the ground below. He recovered quickly and tried to act, but Naruto had taken advantage if his distraction and now appeared directly above Yagura.

"Futon: Wind Palm!" Naruto yelled, throwing his hands to his opponent's chest. Yagura could already see the wind focusing in Naruto's hands, and knew what would happen if he was struck by those.

"_Now!"_ he thought, lashing out with his own hands. He grabbed both of Naruto's wrists and spread them apart, before curling into a ball and turning through the air. He used his smaller frame to move his legs above Naruto's head and clamp them around the blonde's head.

"Wha?!" Naruto exclaimed, surprised by how nimble Yagura really was. Though he struggled, Yagura's position allowed the two of them to rotate through the air, so that Naruto was facing the ground with Yagura above him. He gritted his teeth, hitting the ground like this would at least break his ribs, if not worse.

Fortunately however, he had managed to maintain the Futon chakra in his hands. He halted his attack and instead channelled more chakra into both his palms, making the attack stronger than it currently was. When he was just a few metres from the ground, he suddenly released all the chakra in one blast, and managed to knock both him and Yagura off course.

The two boys struck the ground and rolled across it, the shorter of the two managing to move further ahead and skid back to his feet. Both of them quickly rose to face each other, but just as Naruto began to charge, Yagura suddenly raised his hand, signalling a pause.

"That's enough." he said, deciding to stop the match, "I can see what-?!"

Naruto, taking a moment too long to catch Yagura's meaning, had failed to stop his attack. He had already thrown his hand out, pumping wind straight towards Yagura with enough force to send the boy flying off his feet once more. Naruto's expression blanched as he realised he messed up, but fortunately Fuu arrived in time to catch Yagura before he struck the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" both Yagura and Fuu exclaimed in unison. They both openly glared at Naruto, their eyes almost popping out of their heads. Fuu took the lead, spit flying from her mouth as she yelled at the top of her voice, "YAGURA-KUN SAID STOP!"

"YOU FREAKING IDI-" Yagura chimed in before coming to a sudden stop. He looked at Fuu questioningly, his eyebrow cocked as he posed a half question, "Yagura-kun?"

"Well- I" Fuu began, before rapidly turning on the spot to hide her reddening face. This of course caused Yagura to lose his support and fall onto his back, to which Fuu hastily spluttered, "Sorry!"

Yagura let out a short, sharp sigh as he lifted himself to a sitting position, supporting himself with his hand as Fuu knelt down behind him. Her face was bright red from embarrassment, Naruto wondered how she could seem so timid with Yagura and yet be so brutish with him.

"Anyway…" Yagura said, getting to his feet. He brushed dirt from his clothes and placed his hand on his sore stomach, letting out a deeper sigh of annoyance that made Naruto grin nervously, "Your Jutsu aren't bad, but they all have one thing in common."

Naruto blinked in surprise, he hadn't expected such a quick assessment, especially from a match like that. It made him all the more curious as to what Yagura would say, and so he waited for further explanation to clarify.

"Your nature manipulation is pretty strong, I don't doubt that." Yagura said, as Fuu rose up behind him, "However your shape manipulation isn't particularly impressive in comparison. That Jutsu you were trying to use requires you to maintain the shape while applying the Futon chakra at the same time, which is a hard enough task in itself since both are a constant."

He then glanced back at Fuu and muttered something, to which Fuu hastily nodded. She turned back to look at her pouch and opened it, digging inside as she searched for something, "Since shape and nature manipulation are hard to combine, you should try using an aid to start off." Yagura said, as Fuu found what he had requested. She handed him a thick roll of bandages, which he took and showed to Naruto, "Considering how you use that Jutsu, these might help you out."

He tossed the bandages over to Naruto, who caught them in both his hands. He looked down at them with a raised brow, these were supposed to help him? There was nothing extraordinary about it, it was just some plain medical gauze. But that wasn't the only questionable factor, he looked up at Yagura too with an expression of mild suspicion.

"Y'know, for a guy with no memory you sure know a lot about this sort of thing." he said, watching Yagura's face carefully. Fuu bore a look similar to what Naruto had been wearing a few moments ago, staring at Yagura with her brow almost reaching her fringe.

"Your memory?" she repeated, her confusion both evident and expected. Yagura glanced at her, deciding to offer explanations to both at the same time.

"It's true, I don't have many memories of my past." he said, slipping his arms into a folded position, "But for some reason, all my knowledge of ninjutsu and the likes is still intact. My guess is this is because of the Sanbi, but since he won't say anything, I'll have to leave it at that until something changes. Is that ok with you?"

Naruto had worn a frown all through this explanation, little to none of it made sense to him. But since this was an area he didn't know anything about, he was hardly surprised that this was the case. All the same, he couldn't help being interested.

"Tie those bandages around your arms, so that the overlap moves away from your hands." Yagura continued, taking Naruto's silence for an adequate answer. The blond nodded to the instruction, and began wrapping the roll around his left arm, "For safety sake, cover both your arms up to the shoulder."

"Got it." Naruto replied, working as quickly as he could. He still couldn't see sense in this method, but by this point he was willing to try just about anything if it meant finally gaining some progress with his Jutsu.

He could already feel a sense of excitement rising up, wondering just how effective this would be. He finally covered his entire left arm, before tying the bandages in place and switching hands. Yagura and Fuu both waited as he continued, Fuu was as interested as Naruto but maintained her position of not looking at him. He was even sweatier than before, and it made her a little uncomfortable.

Finally he was done, both of his arms wrapped in a thin layer of white bandages. He had also wrapped them around his thumbs and the base of his hand, though that was more preferential than anything else. Satisfied with his work, he looked to Yagura to learn the next step.

"Don't bother applying Futon chakra, just use your regular kind." Yagura instructed, as he and Fuu stepped closer towards Naruto. The two reached him and studied closely as Naruto listened to his orders, "Channel your chakra into a single arm, and slowly release it."

Naruto stared for a moment, expecting something more complicated. But he did as he was told, looking down at his arm as he tensed it. He channelled his chakra to his forearm, just like he did with the Jutsu he was trying to perfect. It felt strange to do it without using Futon chakra, it was a little too still for his liking.

Then he released it, allowing it to steadily flow out of his arm without any effort to manipulate it. Though the chakra wasn't enough to become visible, he could faintly feel it, like a warm wave passing out of his skin. For a moment, he wondered if anything significant was happening, he couldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. He began to doubt Yagura's method, but when he glanced up at the straw haired boy, he saw a reaction different to his own.

"Good, it's working fine." he said, as Naruto stopped releasing chakra. The frown Naruto was already wearing deepened considerably, exactly _what_ was working fine?

"I don't get it." he announce, waiting for whatever it was that Yagura seemed pleased about. Fuu appeared to be in the dark too, she just looked dumbly between Naruto's arm and Yagura.

"As your chakra was leaving your body, it was guided by the bandages." Yagura explained, looking up into Naruto's eyes with his still expression, "You didn't feel it? The chakra was moving in the right direction because that was the easiest direction for it to move."

Naruto's eyes widened, before quickly returning to his arm. Now that Yagura mentioned it, he _had_ noticed that. But it had seemed like such an obvious thing, he had almost been certain that he was looking at the wrong thing. So that was what the bandages were for?

"That's it?" he asked, with a look of annoyed disappointment. Yagura shook his head, a condescending smile on his lips making Naruto feel even more annoyed than before.

"No, that's not it." he said, raising his hand indicatively like he did before, "Now try making the chakra spin around your arm along the path of the bandages."

"This is going to help?" Fuu asked, leaning in with a questioning look. Yagura gave a confident nod, which invigorated Naruto a little more. He didn't have many other options, so he decided to give it a try.

He channelled his chakra and released it again, this time willing it to coil up his arm as if it were a snake. Like the other steps, he took this slowly too, allowing the chakra to gently rotate on its path. He looked up at Yagura again, the boy seemed to know what he was doing even if nothing special was happening.

"Now…" Yagura said, his eyes narrowing as his smirk widened. He looked almost sinister with that look, as if he truly felt he had a right to that arrogance. Naruto felt uneasy from watching the shorter boy, what was he planning? "Try spinning it _faster_."

* * * * *

Gaara and Utakata both sat at the bar in the base, studying the files closely. Utakata had found some preserved food in the kitchen and made up a couple of sandwiches, and poured a couple of drinks between him and Gaara. He took a sip from his glass as he turned over the sheet of paper in his hand, moving on to the next piece of information inside.

"This looks like a map of Sunagakure." Utakata said, skim reading the paper with bored eyes. However he wore a grin as he looked to Gaara, showing him the map revealing guard posts, black market representatives and the likes, "Feel like raiding your old home?"

Gaara picked a piece of his sandwich off with his fingers, glancing at the sheet Utakata held. He then removed his eyes from it, putting the piece of food in his mouth as he returned to the file he was reading himself. Utakata let out and inward chuckle, this was as much of a reaction as he was expecting.

"Do you plan on ever revealing Yagura-san's ability?" Gaara asked, finishing the paper in his hands and exchanging it for another. Utakata looked up in surprise, he hadn't been expecting such a direct question, especially when there was nothing that brought it up. But once he got over this fact, he returned his eyes to the map in front of him, though failed to really see it.

"I don't think it would be really fair to tell you, since Yagura-niisan doesn't know himself." he replied, in a quieter voice. Gaara watched Utakata from the corner of his eye, there was nothing he had to say to that. However, as he picked up one of the files he had read before, he decided to make aware the reason that he had brought the topic up in the first place.

"According to this there have been eight assassination attempts made on him during his time as Mizukage." he said, reading the file over once more. Utakata's head whipped to the file, his eyes widening with a worried look. Gaara ignored this however and read on, "And from what this says, including Momochi Zabuza's, there were only three other attempts that were unsuccessful."

He placed the file down onto the bar and moved it towards Utakata, who immediately took it and read it himself. From his look of disbelief, and his heightened level of agitation, Gaara could tell that the boy beside him hadn't expected to find this information amongst the other contents of the folder.

"_Eight_?!" Utakata breathed, moving his head away from the paper like it had spat at him. He kept his eyes upon it, willing the writing to be false, "There were _eight_?!"

Gaara watched Utakata for a moment longer, before turning his eyes away. It was clear now wasn't going to be the time that then answers he sought would come to light. And so he returned to the file he was currently reading, allowing Utakata some peace to think.

"Niisan…"

* * * * *

"Grr!" Naruto grunted, gripping his arm as sweat dripped from his brow. He glared down at the darkening bandages which were absorbing his moisture, almost feeling anger towards them for his unsatisfactory result, "Is that _it_?!"

He tried even harder than before, pushing his chakra along the spiralling path. He could feel it moving around his arm, even faintly see it rippling the air around. But for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he could never get it to move anywhere near as fast as when he used Futon chakra.

He squeezed his arm tighter, his breath coming out in pants as he forced more chakra in. Surely the more chakra he sent out, the faster it would move, right? However, he was unable to discover if there was any truth to this, as it was then that Yagura stepped in.

"That's enough." he said, grabbing Naruto's wrist to draw the blonde's attention, "You don't have the stamina left to do anything worthwhile."

"No, I can do this!" Naruto snapped, pulling his arm from Yagura's grip, "I can go way faster than this!"

"No, you can't." Yagura sighed, letting his arm fall to his side. Naruto looked over to him with a half glare, wondering what in the hell that was supposed to mean, "Your Jutsu is an illusion, the wind in the Futon chakra only makes it _look_ like it's going that fast. In reality, your Jutsu is probably slower since you're not able to put the same amount of focus into the shape."

"Hey… um…" Fuu interjected, her eyes raised to the sky, "I think it's going to rain."

Naruto and Yagura both glanced up to the sky, it was true that clouds were gathering, but that only served to annoy Naruto even more. Yagura however took it as a positive, looking back down at Naruto with a semi-serious look.

"You're running low on stamina, and standing out here when the rain hits won't do you any good." he said, walking past Naruto and taking his staff from its place against a nearby tree, "Lets just head back to the base and call it a night, it's not like you need that Jutsu anytime soon, do you?"

Naruto gritted his teeth, finding out the truth of his Jutsu only made him want to train more. It aggravated him to no end that he had been fooling himself this whole time just because he jumped the gun. But he could see Yagura's point no matter how much he regretted it. He too turned around and headed for his things, slipping his haori on and placing Eko on his back.

"_Why don't you just go back, get something to eat and then train in your room? It's not like you can tear up the place with this kind of training."_

Naruto glanced back at Eko, he hadn't thought of that. But now that it was in his mind, he felt a little better. He nodded to the blade with a smile, before heading after Yagura and Fuu as they made their way back to the base.

They walked in relative silence, both of the shorter Jinchuriki unsure of just what mood Naruto was in. They gave him sideward glances, but his appeased look didn't make too much sense to him. It wasn't until he stretched his arms high and yawned that they realised he was more relaxed then he had been a moment ago.

"Hey Yagura-san, you know that village we passed on our way here the first time?" he asked, glancing down at the straw haired boy with a raised brow, "You think that's the nearest village?"

"Uh… I guess so." Yagura replied, in truth he didn't really know. But that place was just about a mile or so away, it wasn't too far off, "Why, is there something there that you need?"

"Yes, and it's very important." Naruto replied, with a sharp nod that caught both Yagura and Fuu's interest, "When the time comes that someone must go to collect supplies, Gaara absolutely must be busy at this time. That way, I can sneak out and collect something very precious."

"Something very precious?" Fuu repeated, with a distant look. In truth she had no idea what it could be, she didn't know Naruto well enough to work that one out yet, "What is it?"

"It is…" Naruto began, raising his finger in a self important manner while he wore a serious expression, "Instant ramen."

It didn't take long for Fuu and Yagura to hang their heads, though they hadn't known what to expect of an answer, they both realised they should have expected something stupid. And of course, not one to disappoint, Naruto had delivered on time.

"I'm going back to Kiri." Yagura said, making a sudden turn to his right and walking away. Fuu and Naruto both looked at each other in alarm, before diving after Yagura and hooking their arms under his, "Hey- I WAS KIDDING YOU IDIOTS!" he yelled, as they began to drag him away.


	24. He who would have been

Aah... some unexpected stuff this time round. It's been a while since I pulled out one this big, and to think I was rushing to meet the minimum. Anyway, here it is.

Disclaimer: ... That's a toad not a frog.

* * *

**He who would have been**

Unfortunately for Naruto, Gaara was on form the next day when he sent Utakata and Fuu to collect supplies. He had given Naruto a task that would require his full attention, not giving the blonde a moment to run off and hoard ramen.

Naruto and Gaara both stood in one of the storerooms of the base, the blond standing behind the red haired boy who knelt on the ground. Gaara had his sleeves rolled back and was looking down through a hole he had created by removing a floorboard. Naruto wore a dissatisfied look as he switched his balance from foot to foot, Gaara's gourd filling his hands.

"Remind me why I have to do this again?" he asked, expending little effort in holding the gourd, but was allowed no room to put it down without alerting Gaara, "Can't you just sit it down beside you or something?"

Gaara picked up the flashlight that was lying beside him, shining it down in the darkness below. Though he didn't particularly enjoy getting himself covered in dust over menial tasks, it was the only way he could think of to keep Naruto in check. He ignored his friend's question as he studied the gap between the floor and ceiling below, before lifting himself back up onto one knee.

"We don't know what Zabuza may have done with this place while he was the owner, we need to make sure there aren't any traps or the likes." he said, brushing dust off his clothes as he rose to his feet. He looked at Naruto, who seemed annoyed about the evaded question. He knew that this slacker would disappear first opportunity he got, and so decided to use his winning argument, "You want ramen, you learn how to make it from scratch."

Naruto suddenly wore the look of someone who was caught in the act, grinning nervously as he tried to appease the situation. Though Gaara's words held less weight now that they had a real kitchen, he had tried cooking himself once, and had woken up in a pool of second hand ramen a few hours later. Needless to say Kisame and Gaara camped to a distance from him at that time.

"Anyway, supplies are only one of our priorities." Gaara continued, kicking the loose floorboard back into place and pressing it down with his foot, "There are four bedrooms and five of us, and there could be more coming in time."

"I'm fine crashing on the couch, but I know what you mean." Naruto replied, placing the gourd on the ground and holding it steady with one hand, "Guess we'll need to empty out some of the storerooms or something."

Gaara nodded in agreement, taking his gourd and slinging it over his shoulder. He and Naruto left the storeroom, making their way down the spiralling path towards the lounge on the lower level. Gaara set his gourd down next to the sofa there, before stepping over to the bar and taking one of the sheets of paper.

"What we need is more bases." he said, showing Naruto the piece of paper. Naruto accepted it and looked it over, it seemed to be file on large bandit hideouts situated all over the place, "It would be a problem if we had to travel across the five nations just to get to and from missions."

"Yeah…" Naruto agreed, looking at the bases at the top. Some of them came from fairly obscure places, while others seemed to disguise themselves as entire villages. He was surprised at just how much banditry seemed to thrive in the world, was it really such an easy option?

"We aren't ready for that just yet though." Gaara continued, as Naruto returned the file to him, "We still need money to get by, never mind to move on with our goal."

"That's no problem, right?" Naruto asked, with a raised brow. Gaara frowned at him, would even Naruto misinterpret this situation? "Just use some of mine for now."

Gaara blinked, staring at Naruto incredulously. Use some of his? He didn't think Naruto had any money at all. After he had bought those ridiculously expensive clothes he now wore, Gaara had assumed that Naruto had continued to buy frivolous things, or just spent it on ramen.

"How much do you have?" he asked, crossing his arms with a sceptical look. Naruto raised his eyes to the ceiling as he though it over, folding his own arms and raising a hand to his chin as he thought about it.

"Let's see… what I started with… what Kisame-sensei put in each month… end of the year… interest rates…" he muttered, bowing his head as his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. Gaara could almost see the calculations leaking out of Naruto's head, and he knew well enough that the idiot had probably already made a mistake.

"It's fine, we can find out later." he said, as a vein started to pop in Naruto's temple. Naruto looked at Gaara in surprise, though he was relieved he hadn't needed to work that out there and then, "But in any case we'll still need to bring in some income, so we'll need to look for missions soon."

Gaara looked past Naruto, who turned his head back as they heard footsteps. Yagura stepped into the room, wiping sweat from his dust covered brow, "I've set up a weak barrier Jutsu all around, anyone who isn't one of us comes in, we'll know."

"That's good." Gaara replied, taking the files and returning them to their folder. Once he had done that he turned back to the two boys, who were looking at him expectantly, "It's better to start scouting for missions now than later. Yagura-san, do you think you can do that?"

Yagura gave a single nod, it sounded easy enough. He turned around and left, heading for the room he was using as his own for now. That meant Naruto and Gaara were alone again, with the blonde left wanting for something to do. Gaara thought it over quickly, he was still working out what it was they needed in the first place.

"Unfortunately Zabuza only left a small amount of the money he probably possessed, but we can't afford to just leave it lying around like he did." he said, when he finally came up with something, "You take it and go with Yagura-san. When you get to the village, there should be a banker that has ties to Akatsuki, and by extension us. Take the money and put it in a separate account. Move the money from our accounts into there too."

"Sure thing." Naruto replied, turning around and leaving to get the money. Gaara watched as he disappeared, before closing the file and taking it into the room with all of Zabuza's bounty details. There were some things there he wanted to check out too.

* * * * *

Utakata and Fuu both took a walk around Nami no Kuni, searching for the supplies Gaara had instructed them to gather. They had taken some of the money that had belonged to Zabuza and left early in the morning. The list was extensive, but fortunately Naruto had sent one of his dogs to help them with carrying the load. Shinmaru was currently out of sight, but had he been present he would have greatly resembled a pack mule.

"This place is pretty strange." Fuu muttered, looking around with a raised brow. She glanced at the people moving from stall to stall, from shop to shop, going about their business without giving her the slightest bit of notice.

"It feels good not to have people shooting you dirty looks, huh?" Utakata asked, with the relaxed expression he often wore. He and Fuu had recently left a café; both of them were holding onto a stick of dango and eating as they walked. Fuu however cocked her head peculiarly at Utakata, an innocent look on her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked, blinking at him questioningly.

"Ah, nothing." Utakata replied, waving his words away. Yagura had already told him about Fuu's peculiar behaviour, and by now he could certainly see it himself. Like Yagura he had concluded that it would be better not to trouble her about it, and so he dismissed his statement, "So what's next on the list?"

"Uh, let me check." Fuu replied, taking the folded piece of paper from her pocket and taking it apart while she gripped her dango stick between her teeth, "Um… we got the candles and the gas cylinders. Next is… twenty cups of inst-"

Fuu didn't finish her statement, instead she crushed the piece of paper in her hands with an annoyed expression. Utakata looked at her in alarm, what brought on the change in attitude?

"The idiot got his hands on the list." Fuu muttered, tossing the list in a passing bin. She slid all three of the dango pieces into her mouth, discarding that too, "We goh evythin."

"I guess we'll head back then." Utakata replied, with a small grin on his face. He had been wondering why Naruto had been sneaking around while Gaara wrote the list, that boy could really be stealthy when he felt like it.

Suddenly Utakata tensed up, his eyes locking on something at the end of the street. Fuu noticed his strange action and looked ahead, almost choking on her dango in the process. About twenty yards ahead, walking towards them, there were two Shinobi. Utakata instantly recognised their forehead protectors, these guys were from Konohagakure. Quickly tapping Fuu on the arm, the two of them quickly sidled from view into a side alley. They pressed their backs against the wall, waiting in the shadows for the two Shinobi to pass.

"I just thought you'd want to know." said one of the Shinobi, a man wearing a green flak vest with a thick navy jacket and matching slacks. The lower half of his face was covered in a blue mask, while his headband covered his left eye, and held his tall, spiky grey hair in place.

"_Isn't that…?"_ Utakata thought, remembering something from Kiri's bingo books. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, what was a person like _him_ doing here?

"Yeah… thanks…" said the other Shinobi, a man wearing a tight green jumpsuit beneath his own flak vest. He wore his headband ties around his waist, leaving his thick black brows and bowl cut hair intact, "I didn't expect to hear it… Orochimaru is dead?"

Utakata took in a sharp breath, earning a worried look from Fuu. He stared at the two Shinobi as they disappeared down the other side of the alley. What was that?!

"Utakata-san?" Fuu asked, looking up at him nervously. But Utakata didn't hear her at all, he was fixed and intent on hearing more. He slipped out of the alley and found the two Shinobi again; entering the café he and Fuu had only just left a minute ago.

"Come on." he said, as Fuu followed him into the street. The two of them made their way back towards the café, being as discreet as they could as they stepped back in. They could see the two Shinobi sitting in the corner of the not-so-busy shop, they themselves taking a seat at the table nearest the door. While not looking directly at them, Utakata listened carefully to their conversation from a distance.

"Is it really ok to be here?" asked the grey haired Shinobi, slouching forward with his hands held before his face. He watched his companion carefully, reading the troubled expression and recognising it well.

"You know Kakashi, here is where we took one of our last missions." he said, gazing out the window with sombre eyes. He took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh, "I remember how Tenten was struggling to fight her opponent, and Neji jumped in to save her at the last second. I always thought that was him helping out his team mate, but…"

He fell silent, bowing his head and staring into his hands. The person across from him, Kakashi, waited patiently as his friend became lost in his thoughts, "What is it?"

"The enemy was too fast for even him, he had a strange kekkei genkai." the black haired man explained, his eyes as distant as the subject of which he spoke, "It took both him and Lee together to hold off the enemy. I think Neji was angry about that."

"It's not uncommon to want to be the only person in the spotlight." Kakashi replied, as helpfully as he could, "It doesn't have to mean-"

"Oh, you two again!"

Utakata froze in shock as the old waitress who had served them before reappeared at their table. Kakashi cut off from what he was saying, he and his comrade watching Utakata and Fuu from the corner of their eyes.

"_Shit!" _Utakata thought, trying his best to keep from paling. He had been so caught up in what those two were saying, he hadn't even thought to use a Henge to disguise himself, _"Now what?!"_

"That dango was great, we thought we would get some more to share with our friends!" Fuu said, in a bright and chipper tone. Utakata glanced at Fuu in surprise, she had recovered at an incredible speed, "Is that ok?"

"Of course it is!" the plump old lady replied, beaming down at the girl, "I'll whip some more up and bring them to you in a jiffy!"

Fuu smiled as the waitress turned around and headed towards the kitchen. Utakata kept his eyes on Fuu, but his attention had returned to the Shinobi to his right. They watched Utakata and Fuu for a moment more, before returning to their conversation.

"Anyway, there's no sense talking about it." the thick browed man said, before breaking out into a broad grin, "Living in the past isn't youthful at all!"

"Well, you _are_ the one who brought it up." Kakashi muttered, with a weak smile. The man before him didn't seem to hear however, as he returned to a serious look.

"So what did Hokage-sama say?" he asked, his momentary eccentricity disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. Kakashi turned his eyes out to the street, looking rather melancholy.

"There's no way of knowing what Neji will do." he said, in a pensive, "But it's likely that Sasuke will now put all his efforts into finding Uchiha Itachi."

"_Uchiha Itachi…"_ Utakata thought, his brow furrowing at the familiar name, _"That's Kisame-san's partner… Orochimaru…"_

"Here you go dears." the old waitress said, placing a warm paper bag on the table before them, "There are eight sticks in there, will that be enough?"

"Yes, thank you very much!" Fuu replied, placing some money on the table and rising to her feet. She took the bag in one hand and Utakata's arm in the other, directing that it was time to leave. Utakata didn't resist, and the two of them left without another word.

"_I gotta pass this on to the others." _Utakata thought, casting a glance over his shoulder to the pair in the shop. In that moment, he prayed that he just imagined their looking straight back at him.

* * * * *

"You're certain of this?" Gaara asked, his eyes fixed on Utakata's. He sat on the sofa of the lounge, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the elder Jinchuriki, who stood with Fuu in the open doorway.

"Believe me, I wouldn't make a mistake on this." Utakata confidently replied. Fuu nodded in time with his words, little though she may have known about the situation, she had listened intently anyway, "I know the guys from the bingo book, they were Hatake Kakashi and Maito Gai."

Gaara let himself fall back into the sofa, his hand rising to his face as he wore a troubled look. He had not that long ago sent Naruto and Yagura in that same direction; it appeared only a lack of luck had kept Utakata and Fuu from crossing their paths. As it was, he couldn't help but wonder how Naruto would deal with the situation, should any problems arise.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji…" he muttered, his concerned expression deepening considerably, "If Uchiha Sasuke's goal really is Itachi-san, then that means…"

"Do you know these guys?" Fuu asked, leaning in and cocking her head. As far as she knew, neither her nor Utakata had offered nor heard any surname to the two people Hatake Kakashi and Maito Gai had been referring to. Yet somehow Gaara knew their full names, and seemed to understand more than they did.

"Of course." Gaara replied, as he recalled a time long ago, "You could say that it is because of Hyuuga Neji that Naruto is so determined to improve himself."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Utakata asked, crossing his arms as he leant on the doorframe. Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly, his own nature forbidding him to smile.

"Who knows?" he speculated, before placing his hands on his knees and rising to his feet. He headed over to the window at the left of the room, leaning on the sill and looking outside.

"Ahh… how cryptic." Utakata muttered, his own eyes narrowing to a squint. Fuu just looked between the two boys, completely clueless as to what was going on. She could sense the seriousness, but no reason behind it.

"Should we try and warn them?" she asked, slipping her hands behind her back and looking up at Utakata. The brown haired boy shrugged though, Gaara's words were beginning to make him wonder.

"Naruto knows how important it is that we remain anonymous." Gaara said, speaking up from his distant position. He idly looked at the concealed seal tag Yagura had placed on the wall, and was reminded that everyone understood the situation, "He won't confront them without good reason."

"You're sure about that?" Utakata asked, uncertainly, "I know it's been a long time, but are you certain he doesn't have any ties to that place anymore?"

"A civilian left that village years ago." Gaara replied, looking over his shoulder to Utakata, "That civilian was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko. If Konoha comes for Naruto, he _won't_ be confused about the reason."

Utakata and Fuu both fell silent, even the short girl could tell they had stepped into territory that was none of their business. Gaara resumed his gaze through the window, and they took that as their mark to leave.

They ascended the pathway to the floors above, both walking in relative silence. They had dropped the supplies off as ordered, and planned on bringing the heavy things up later. As it was though, they were tired from their hurried journey and sought some rest.

"Man… I don't know anything about the situation!" Fuu quietly complained, pouting to herself as they reached the second floor. Utakata smiled sympathetically at her, he couldn't blame her frustration. But he could at least ease it a little.

"Right now Yoinokuchi's goal is to gather the nine Jinchuriki." he explained, fingering the medallion around his neck, "I don't know what comes after that either, but I've got some ideas."

Fuu blinked blankly at the boy beside her, before reaching into her pouch. She pulled out the medallion that Zetsu had given her before they parted ways, raising it so that the moon symbol was eye level to her. She didn't really like necklaces, hence the reason she hadn't put this on like the others had.

"It's because of this that Yagura-niisan managed to finally escape Kiri, and by extension both of us too."

Fuu glanced at Utakata in surprise; she hadn't known that his means of leaving the village had also been Yagura. She returned her eyes to the moon emblem hanging in front of her; did this little thing really mean that much?

She stared at it for several moments, while Utakata watched her with a slight glint to his eye. He could see what was going on in her head, and what it was she was thinking of doing. His thoughts were confirmed as Fuu finally smiled to herself, before slipping the medallion around her neck. She looked down at it for a few seconds, before realising Utakata was watching her.

"What?" she asked, cocking her head curiously. Utakata's smile spread into a grin, and he patted Fuu on the back.

"Congratulations!" he announced, raising his hands in the air indicatively, "You're now a part of the group!"

"Huh- HUH?!" Fuu exclaimed, staring at Utakata in shock. She gripped the medallion in her hand and leaned towards the dark haired boy, an almost pleading look on her face, "You mean I wasn't before?!"

"Eh, call that a trial period." Utakata replied, shrugging as he continued towards his room. Fuu however wasn't satisfied with that, as she continued to follow him even though her room was on the next floor up.

"Hey, wait a minute!" she complained, as he closed the door on her, "HEY!"

* * * * *

The midday sun shone down as the door to a basement opened up. Naruto appeared from the shadows within, missing the bag he had been carrying before. He shut the door to the unofficial bank and ascended the stone steps to reach street level, looking around the village he had visited only a few weeks before.

"Guess we'll hang around for Yagura." Naruto said, glancing over his shoulder. His brow twitched embarrassedly as he remembered that he hadn't brought Eko with him for this, he would only have been annoyed at the boring task he would have had to endure.

Naruto looked around, the streets were as busy as ever and no one seemed to notice him in the slightest. He couldn't help but grin, he didn't have anything to do and so was left with a few interesting options. He considered doing the same as Yagura and looking out for some missions, but he knew and agreed with the reason Yagura had been chosen over him. Someone with proper ninja training would be better suited for this, Naruto didn't really have that.

"_Man, I hope there's a ramen bar somewhere around."_ He thought, as he began to walk through the crowded streets.

The hustle and bustle of daily life passed him by, he never felt more detached than when he saw other people hurrying to someplace while he himself was just wandering aimlessly. He slipped his hands into his pockets, bowing his head slightly as he let his mind wander off into whatever direction it took him.

"Anyway, I have to report back to Tsunade-sama." He overheard a passer-by say, "I'll see you later Gai."

"Later Kakashi." Came another voice, though Naruto had already stopped listening. Instead he turned into a side street on his left, heading away from the thick crowds to less busy roads. He had already walked that main street before, and knew there was nothing of interest there anyway.

"_So boring…"_ he thought, his expression turning tired as he steadily grew discontented with the situation.

"Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto looked up in surprise, glancing around for whoever called out to him. His eyes settled on an alleyway to his left, where he saw Yagura standing with a large man. Yagura jerked his head, signalling Naruto to come over. Glad of something interesting happening, Naruto walked over towards them. It looked like they were standing outside the back of a bar or restaurant, judging by the steam rising from the doorway that the man occupied.

"This is an associate of mine." Yagura said, gesturing towards Naruto as he arrived. Naruto looked up at the man Yagura was meeting with; he had a fairly intimidating appearance with his dark blue happi and navy slacks that weren't dissimilar to Naruto's, "Just so you know I'm not jerking you around."

"This guy hardly bolsters my confidence." the man replied, in a gruff but observant tone. He stepped down out of the doorway, standing just a few feet in front of Naruto. He raised his hands to the reflective sunglasses he wore, looking down at Naruto with a sceptical expression augmented by his pencil thin moustache and black flat top style hair into something quite thuggish, "He looks like a runt too."

Yagura's eyes flickered to Naruto, shooting a warning look. Naruto seemed no to notice however, or else he just ignored the gaze completely. A smirk played across his face as he looked down and let out an inward chuckle, he was just in the mood for a situation like this.

"That how you treat the guy you want for your mission?" he asked, slipping his hand out of his pocket casually.

"Naruto…" Yagura muttered warningly. Once more he was ignored however as Naruto held his hand out, a challenging look on his face. The man didn't seem to respond well to this however, his lip curled as he looked at Naruto like he was a pest.

"Little punk." he muttered, before accepting the challenge. He took Naruto's hand and gripped it tight, squeezing with all his might. Naruto didn't take his eyes off the big guy for a second, his smirk unwavering and in fact seeming to grow.

He gave it a couple of moments, before he took his turn. He tightened his grip on the thug's hand, still failing to show any signs of effort. The thug however contrasted this, as his jaw began to tighten and his arm shook from the pressure. After just a few seconds of this, he quickly broke away, grabbing his hand tight and staring at the red marks upon it. If Naruto had gripped any tighter, the thug would have needed medical treatment.

"How in the hell?" the thug murmured, looking over at Naruto again. The boy's hand hung limply by his side, his triumphant look mixing with his own arrogance into something that made the thug feel even worse for letting go.

"My sword's bigger than yours." he said, in a cool tone. Yagura was feeling immense regret in his decision to call Naruto over, and was just about ready to try and repair the situation when the thug started sniggering.

"Heh heh- HA HA HA!" the thug laughed, his voice booming through the alleyway. He looked down at Naruto with a broad grin, crossing his arms over and looking impressed, "You've got balls kid, that's just what I need!"

Yagura stared at the thug with a look of disbelief; he couldn't fathom how Naruto had managed to get such a reaction from nearly crippling this guy's hand. Yet there it was before him, the man giving an approving look that had only moments ago been unconvinced.

"Alright, listen up!" the thug said, leaning against the wall behind him and looking between the two boys with a grin, "Normally I wouldn't be askin' for outsider help, we got plenty of boys of our own. Problem is, the pansies are too afraid to go escort one of our boss' men cos the route goes through some allegedly "cursed" place. I'll pay twenty thousand for each guy you send, but I'm only lookin' for some personal guards for this guy, not an entire platoon, got it?"

"Twenty thousand's kinda-" Naruto began, but this time Yagura made sure he was noticed by putting his hand between Naruto and the thug.

"Twenty thousand is fine." he said, as Naruto gave him a frown, "Just give us a time, place and destination."

"Alright then, looks like we got a deal." said the thug, with a definitive tone. He straightened up off the wall, and stepped into the door of the kitchen he had occupied tomorrow, "We move out in three days, leaving at noon. Be at Shiyabuka around ten so the guy you're escorting can get familiar with you. You'll be guiding him to Zeppeki Drop and back, paid upon return."

Yagura nodded in agreement, before tapping Naruto on the arm and heading out of the alley. Naruto followed, giving a two fingered salute to the thug first. Soon he and Yagura were back in the street, making their way towards the Great Lee Bridge.

"You sure about that?" Naruto asked, as they walked into the main street he had only a minute ago left. Yagura gave an assertive nod, he was fairly sure.

"We're not looking to make money right now, we're looking for business." he said, as the crowds thickened and he needed to keep behind Naruto to avoid being bumped, "If we keep getting missions like this, then in the end what we gain will be worthwhile."

"Yeah, but boring as hell." Naruto replied, with an expression that matched his words. But he got what Yagura was saying, and was kind of annoyed about it, "Well, it sounds like a load of crap, you take it if you want."

"_Thanks._"


	25. What lies within

Another long one huh? Looks like this morning update thing is really working out. Hell, I had this thing finished yesterday _evening._ That and I picked up my schedule of one page of writing per anime episode/manga chapter. Anyways, here it is, fresh from the creepr corners of my mind.

Disclaimer: I'd hate to be around Terumi Mei when she's drunk. That girl throws up and the entire place collapses.

* * *

**What lies within**

The afternoon sun hit the brown earth, leaving the road with a stuffy air that allowed for little to no comfort. The trees hanging over the ledges high above seemed to visibly droop under the sweltering heat. Even insect life seemed to have a tough time doing anything productive, though they were usually so efficient.

The small procession moved through what looked like a miniature valley, with earth walls on both sides and the plants above increasing the height. If there was a word to describe this place, it was "damp." The servants' feet sunk a little into the ground as they carried the carriage with their precious cargo inside. The single platoon of thugs acting as guards were constantly wiping sweat from their brows, stains appearing on their cheap clothing and causing a smell in the air.

"Man, why the hell am I here?" Naruto grumbled, walking with his arms folded in front of him. As much as he had emphasised how dull this mission sounded, he had been the one chosen to take it anyway.

"_Yagura-san will be looking for more missions while Utakata-san checks the bounty files."_

Naruto was seriously beginning to regret supporting the motion to make Gaara the unofficial leader. True though it was that he was probably the only person who could fulfil that role, but it was annoying nonetheless.

"Hey, _I_ should be the one complaining." Fuu mumbled, pouting into her folded arms as she walked alongside him. Of all the people she could have been paired off with, _he_ was the _last_ person that she would have wanted.

They had trudged along for an hour now, if the mission itself wasn't bad enough the snail like progress certainly added to their displeasure. In that time they had only covered a few miles, to which Naruto could easily have made several trips by now. And judging from the looks he received from the big figures padding through the trees above, this was also one of the most disappointing "walks" the dogs had ever been taken on.

"Hey, Ojiisan!" Naruto called, walking alongside the carriage and rapping his knuckles across the wooden corner. Though they had arrived early as instructed, they had not met with the person they were escorting as they were told they would be. In fact, that person didn't show up until it was time to leave, and by then he already occupied the fancy box he now sat in, "Think we can move a little faster?"

The veil of bamboo that stood between Naruto and his employer shifted as the person inside moved it. A hand appeared and lifted it aside, a face appearing from the shadows. That face looked straight at Naruto's, his expression deadly serious.

"Yo." Said the thug Naruto met yesterday. Naruto stared back at the man, his brow both rising and creasing at the same time. Then the penny finally dropped, and he took a step back with a startled look on his face.

"EH?!" he exclaimed, his eyes bugging out in shock. The thug maintained his set expression, raising his free hand into the two fingered salute Naruto had given him just the other day.

"Please take good care of me!" the thug proclaimed, in an overly enthusiastic tone. He seemed to be rather pleased with Naruto's reaction, his smile was much more than a greeting. Naruto however was still too surprised.

"Y-y-y-y-y-you're the guy we're escorting?!" he demanded, disbelievingly. The thug gave a gratuitous nod, before giving the veil a hard enough shove to lay it across the roof of the carriage. He then sat in a cross legged position, his hands on his knees, looking almost like a respectable person.

"Mokamoto Kensuke, pleased to make your acquaintance." He announced, giving Naruto the peace sign. Despite his perceptiveness of Naruto's shock, he seemed blind to the rising killer intent emanating from the glaring boy's body.

"I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill him!" Naruto hissed, trying to claw his way towards Kensuke with Fuu gripping him from behind. He dragged the girl along, his fingertips digging into the earth as he moved closer.

"Calm down, we won't get paid if we kill our employer!" Fuu said, putting all her weight into slowing Naruto down.

"Tch." Naruto grumbled, rising to his feet. He brushed dirt from his clothes and stomach, fortunately the earth wasn't _that_ damp, "I guess you're right."

"You're going to be really troublesome, aren't you?" Fuu asked, giving Naruto an exasperated look as she got to her feet too. From the carriage, which had already moved a considerable distance ahead, Kensuke leaned out to look at the two ninja.

"Hey, if you lovebirds are done rolling in the mud, you think you can get back into position?" he called out, using his hand in a ditch attempt to make his voice as clear as possible. This time it was Naruto's turn to hold Fuu down as she made for Kensuke, her killer intent even more venomous than Naruto's.

"Hey hey, he's our employer remember?" Naruto said, gripping Fuu's ankles and keeping her from progressing.

"Like I ca-" Fuu began in a whining voice. But then Naruto's hand clamped against her mouth, muffling her words before she could finish, "Hmph?!"

He had almost missed it, seeing Koyane perk up like he did. The large dog had turned his head to the left in a sudden motion, fixing his eyes upon something out of Naruto's sight. But after a few moments of slight glances, Koyane just looked down at Naruto, it seemed like it was nothing after all.

"Never mind." Naruto said, as he began to move off. He halted however, as he felt something strange. Fuu was unseasonably hot. He glanced down at her, failing to interpret her embarrassment, "What's up with- HEOW!!!"

He leapt back from shock, falling on his ass as he grabbed his hand. He could see the bite marks clearly, there was no doubting Fuu's dental hygiene. He looked over to the girl he had pinned just moments before, seeing her shoot him a glare as she rose to her feet.

"_What did _I_ do?" _he thought, as Fuu stormed off after the convoy. He got up to his feet, brushing dirt off himself _again_ as he walked on too. He stared with a deep frown, who the hell bit people these days?

"_You_ do _realise you were just on top of her right?"_

Naruto paused, his eyes glazing over as he thought back to just a few seconds ago. His eyes suddenly widened to their fullest extent, and he came to realise the reason Fuu's body had been so warm.

"EH?!" he exclaimed again, wearing the same expression he had given Kensuke with the added bonus of a full face flush to top it off. A couple of the guards glanced back at him with wary looks, but Fuu did her best to completely ignore him.

"_Sometimes you make me wanna cry."_

"Come on!" Utakata said, lightly shoving Yagura on the back. The short boy stumbled into the lounge of the base, shooting a nasty look to his close friend who simply returned a smile. They both turned their faces to Gaara, who had been looking through some bounty files on the sofa up until their arrival.

Now however, the three Jinchuriki were watching each other, the two stoic ones waiting for someone to speak. Utakata looked between the two boys, realising he would have to take initiative here if they were to get anywhere. And so he let out a sigh, before speaking up.

"Niisan and I have been talking, and we've come to an agreement." He said, ignoring Yagura's objecting look, "If we're going to improve, then it's best to make use of the advantages we have over everyone else. I think it would be a good idea if you and the others learned to control your Biju."

Gaara's eyes narrowed doubtfully as he looked at Utakata, then to Yagura. It was true that he had thought about such a thing, especially after reading Yagura's file. But he had put off doing so until they had a more secure way of living and could afford to take time training. However, recent developments made him reconsider that idea, Naruto's contribution to Yoinokuchi's account was one such example.

"You think it can be done then?" he asked, leaning on his knees and raising his hands and holding them in front of his face. Utakata nudged Yagura, who took a step away in annoyance.

"Yeah, it's doable." Yagura said, his furrowed brow and averted gaze suggesting he didn't really want a part of this. But he knew the point had been stressed too much, and Utakata had been right in what he had said, "But it won't be fast, easy, and definitely not fun."

"As far as I'm aware, we aren't in this for entertainment." Gaara said, sitting back and picking up another sheet of paper. He began looking it over, even while his thoughts were still on the current conversation, "Wait until Naruto gets back then, we'll have him train first-"

"No, that's a bad idea." Yagura interrupted, earning Gaara's eyes once more. The red haired boy stared at the former Mizukage, who bore a look that was both serious and unwilling, "This process has a high chance of letting the Biju within take control. If it comes down to that, I'll have to step in and probably take the Biju on myself. But I possess only the Sanbi, so that means…"

Gaara watched Yagura for several long moments, long after the boy fell silent. He understood now why they waited for such a time to bring this up, when Naruto wasn't present. They intended _him_ to be the one to learn, that was what they were getting at.

He put down the piece of paper he was holding; such a thing held no importance right now. He slouched forward again without taking his eyes off of Yagura. In those few, silent seconds, Gaara had an idea that he understood that person a little better. For him to have that worried look, clearly the Sanbi wasn't as docile as Gaara had thought.

"All right, I understand." He said, rising to his feet. He stepped towards Yagura and Utakata, standing just in front of them with the look not of a leader, but of a fellow Jinchuriki, "What shall I do?"

Even though Gaara had given his consent, Yagura still wore a reluctant look. He said nothing though as he turned around and descended the pathway, with both Utakata and Gaara close behind.

They made their way out of the building and towards the earth below, where they continued on away from the base to somewhere appropriate for the coming task. They walked on in complete silence, Utakata was the only one who would be willing to converse with the other two, but he could sense the atmosphere and so kept quiet as well.

It wasn't long before they reached a suitable clearing, stepping out into a small lagoon in the midst of the trees, almost completely separated from the sea outside by the earth ridge running around it. Gaara looked around this murky place, Yagura had certainly taken quite a look around. He had been unaware that this was here, and he had spent the last couple of days researching maps of the area.

"With this sort of terrain, the Sanbi should be able to stop the Ichibi if things go too far." Yagura said, as they left the earth and stepped down onto the sand that was a very small beach.

Gaara noted the quality of the sand, it was hardened by the moisture, but that could be remedied. He made a mental note of this area's location, it was handy to have a natural store of sand in mind. However he didn't let that distract him from their purpose, he stepped down beside Yagura and looked out to the lagoon.

"Now what?" he asked, turning his eyes over the rolling waves that set out to the distant horizon. Though they were considerably calmer than what would be at the sea itself, it had that same soothing fashion that calmed many people. Gaara however, had his attentions set on other things.

"The training I went under can't be perfectly replicated, I don't think there is a place like that anywhere else in the world." Yagura explained, setting his staff down on the sand and moving so that he stood several metres in front of Gaara, "This will have to be improvised, we don't have much choice. I'm going to place you under a Genjutsu, it should do the same job even if to a lesser extent."

Gaara folded his arms, improvisation didn't exactly appeal to him. However he agreed that they were starved for choice, and in truth he also had a desire to see this thing through, to quieten that voice which had troubled him for so long. Yagura motioned for Gaara to sit, which he did, placing his hands on his knees as he crossed his legs on the sand. He then closed his eyes, just as Yagura began weaving through hand signs.

"Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu!" he called, his hand held on the rat seal.

Gaara listened as Yagura's voice echoed away, keeping his eyes closed until he was sure there was no longer any noise. When this was the case, he slowly opened them, coming to realise that both Yagura and Utakata were now gone. From the looks of things, he was the only person on this entire beach, the only person anywhere around.

However, his gaze came to settle on the sand before him, his eyes drawn to them by some mysterious force. The sand was steadily drying, the moisture fading away as if it had never been there in the first place. The area around also seemed to grow hotter, and the sun shone brighter too. Gaara lifted his gaze long enough to realised he was in the middle of a vast desert, before settling back onto the place he had been watching.

A light breeze came by, growing into a gust that scattered the sand away to the side. Gaara watched as that sand seemed to reveal something which lay beneath, pair of black ellipses and a red lettering sitting above the left side, the kanji signifying "love".

"Sabaku no Gaara." Gaara said, addressing the sand without the faintest flicker of a reaction.

The two ellipses slowly grew, white and green appearing inside as they became perfect, albeit much larger, apparitions of Gaara's own eyes. Those eyes watched Gaara, narrow and accusing, but at the same time familiar.

"They are alive." Spoke Sabaku no Gaara, his voice coming from nowhere and at the same time all around. It had been a long time, Gaara was certain now that this was the voice of his younger self, "Why are they alive?"

"Their death would be pointless." Gaara replied, folding his arms as he spoke to the him of the past.

"Foolish." Sabaku no Gaara said, his voice barely audible as his eyes narrowed, "Since when do I need reason to kill? To kill every living person other than myself, _that_ is the world I seek."

"Killing insignificant people does nothing to prove my existence." Gaara replied, speaking in terms his old self may understand, "At the same time, there are those who I cannot allow to die."

"Do not deny yourself." Sabaku no Gaara murmured clearly, as an odd sheen appeared in his eyes. He then looked suddenly intense, and almost pleased despite his maintained persona, "Acting as though I am protecting others, when really I am using them to my own ends. When did I trade the joy of killing others for manipulating them?"

Gaara came to a pause, lifting his eyes to scan the area around him. It occurred to him that in this place, blind though he may be to the outside world, that Utakata an Yagura could very well be aware of _him_. To that end, he decided to choose his words with care.

"Who I am is for me to decide, and what I do is also that." He answered in as calm a voice as ever. Sabaku no Gaara listened closely to his words, but didn't seem to like what he was hearing, "Right now my focus is to complete the task given to me, and then take what has been promised."

Sabaku no Gaara and Gaara looked at each other, waiting to see which one would yield first. But it was a useless contest, they were one in the same after all. Sabaku no Gaara was far from convinced however, in fact he seemed even more confident in his own way of thinking than when he'd started.

"It looks like I really am still as selfish as ever." He said, his eyes narrowing again. Gaara looked up from the eyes to the distant dunes, he wasn't sure whether to agree or disagree with that. Sabaku no Gaara took his aversion as something else however, and acted on it, "Even though I act like a different person, do I truly feel alive?"

Gaara tensed, a very slight thing that was almost unnoticeable. As much as he wished to deny it, the Genjutsu was having an effect on him. He met the gaze of his former self once more, and remembered something he had heard a long time ago.

"The wind blows…" he said, speaking of the passing breeze.

"The endless sand stirs." Sabaku no Gaara continued, with a content look, "And settles-"

"Never the same again." they finished, in perfect unison. Sabaku no Gaara watched his older self for a few moments, before the wind picked up and he was scattered away. The sand that had created his form whirled around Gaara in a small tornado, steadily growing smaller until it settled on his skin. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and waited for the Genjutsu to end.

Naruto glanced over at Fuu, his brow furrowed in an uncertain look. Fuu had continued to ignore him since the earlier incident, not even looking his way as he stared. The convoy had been moving for several hours now, with no disturbance made as of yet. The only sounds were that of the small marching group, four men carrying the carriage while four others acted as guards. Overall that made up a group of eleven people, including them and Kensuke. However, with the only people looking remotely worthwhile to converse with being Fuu and Kensuke, he already knew what he was going to do.

"Sorry about… before." He said, keeping his eyes dead ahead as he spoke. He knew Fuu was listening, even if she refused to look at him, "I'm kinda out of touch, I didn't know what I was doing until it was done."

He waited for any sign of acknowledgment for his words, but after a few moments he began to think that she was still mad at him regardless of an apology. He was just about to say something that might have had the opposite effect he had earlier intended, but then he noticed Fuu's mouth open.

"Just forget about it, ok?" She asked, her pouting expression suggesting a desire to do just that. She kept her eyes away from Naruto, but he was pretty sure he could see the pink tint in her cheeks that revealed that moment was repeating itself in her head, "It was an accident."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, he was glad that there wasn't a problem. Fuu looked up at him uncertainly, but when he flashed her a broad grin she couldn't help but smile back. Though it certainly didn't help with the colour of her cheeks.

"Phew, glad that's over with!" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling inwardly, "Sorry again, guess I just thought of you as one of the guys, so-"

"_Baka."_

Naruto blinked in confusion, looking from Eko to Fuu. A ball of sweat dripped down from his brow as he found he could almost visibly _see_ killer intent rising from Fuu again. This time however he realised his mistake, and quickly made to correct himself.

"I mean- uh-" he began.

"Hrrrrr!"

Naruto and Fuu both whipped their heads up to the right, looking directly at Kunimei. His growls drew the other dog's attentions, and soon all six of them were snarling in the same direction, their fur rising on their hackles as they bared their teeth.

"What's going on?" asked one of the guards, looking back to Naruto and Fuu with a wary frown. The other guards had come to a stop as well, and soon the carriage followed. All eyes were looking up at the dogs up on the right. Even Kensuke peered out to look curiously.

"I'm gonna check it out, stay close to Mokamoto-san!" Naruto ordered, grabbing Eko and running off. He bounded up the wall and joined Kunimei, leaving Fuu to take care of the task given.

"Right!" she said, hurrying over to the carriage. She leapt up onto the roof of the small box, taking a kunai and gripping it tight as she looked around. Kensuke looked up at her curiously, "Get this thing moving, and- STOP LOOKING THERE!" she yelled, throwing her Kunai down at the blushing Kensuke and clamping her knees together. Fortunately Kensuke ducked back inside just in time, before barking out an order for them to move.

The servants and the guards each got back to their march, increasing their pace as the guards slowed to surround the carriage. They each gripped their katana tight, prepared to unsheathe them at the slightest sign of trouble. But none of them were confident, they all knew of this cursed place and the rumours surrounding it.

"Hey, Naruto-san!" Fuu called, looking for the blond boy who had disappeared, "You find anything?"

She waited for a reply, but to her unease none came. Several moments of silence passed, she came to realise that even the dogs were no longer making any noise. In fact, she couldn't see anything up there at all, "Naruto?"

"Hey, what's happening?!" another of the guards demanded, his eyes set high above with a panicked expression.

"It's the curse!" yelled another, unsheathing his blade even with a trembling hand. Fuu looked between them and realised they were looking at the same place. Her head whipped up high, and she came to discover what had them so afraid.

There was an eclipse, a large dark orb blotting out the sun. Fuu had failed to notice because the light was already hindered, but when she found out what it was she immediately averted her gaze. She knew it was no good to look directly into an eclipse.

"_Isn't this strange?"_ she thought, as visibility slowly diminished, _"Why is there an eclipse at a time like this?!"_

"Naruto!" she called out again. It almost felt like night now, the orb blocking the sun had now completely obscured it. That was impossible right? How could something be far enough away to obscure the sun, and then move close enough to completely hide it? Nothing could get so close so fast, and nothing was large enough in any case, _"Is it… Genjutsu?"_

Before she could really think it over, she was suddenly glared by an intense burst of light. For a moment she thought someone had thrown a flash bomb, but that turned out not to be the case. Whatever it was that had blotted the sun had suddenly disappeared, and they were all bathed in a light stronger than what they had started with. Almost as confused and dazed as the others, Fuu only managed to look up in time to find out the reason for the sudden disappearance of the darkness.

The leaves of the trees exploded in every direction as a figure burst forth, leaping back through the air with immense skill. He was a person dressed in a ragged black cloak, his face obscured by his arm. He held in his hands a short staff with a pair of curved blades on either end, gripping it tight as he raised his eyes.

Naruto came after him, leaping higher and descending down with the Ekokaeten raised above his head. The figure with a double bladed staff whirled around as the giant blade was swung down at him, defending just in time with a strike from his own weapon. Two blades made solid contact, and sparks flew as their owners recoiled and followed up.

The cloaked man was quick and flexible, able to defend against Naruto's swings even as gravity brought him back down. But Naruto was far from at a disadvantage, with each attack he would change his grip at a speed that was impossible to follow, and succeeded in giving his opponent absolutely no room to counter.

"_Wow…"_ Fuu thought, as the two fighters disappeared into the other side of the valley. In that moment, she had seen Naruto fighting for the very first time. And in that moment, she realised he was a thousand miles out of her league.

Naruto and the figure crashed through the bushes, the former rolling while the latter slid back and kept his footing. The two met in a deadlock that caused a resounding clang, and their eyes met for the first time.

The person he was fighting was a man with a heavily scarred face, slash marks running across his eyes, nose and mouth. He looked like he had fought a wild animal, and had been at the worse end of that beast's weapon of choice. One of those scars ran straight through his black goatee, leaving hair unable to grow there. But his steely grey eyes were hardened, his resolution absolute. He broke the deadlock and swung around, just missing Naruto's midsection.

"So you're the guy behind this "curse" huh?" Naruto asked, as he dodged back and stepped in again with a swing, "Pretty complicated scheme for raiding travellers don'cha think?"

"Hmf, it's hardly travellers that I seek." His opponent replied, dodging the blade and jumping back, "This situation isn't profitable, I'll take my leave for now."

He stabbed his weapon into the ground and threw his hands into his cloak. Before Naruto could stop him, he whipped his hands back out, one holding a taut cord and the other gripping a gas mask.

"_Shit!" _Naruto thought, as purple smoke spilled from the man's cloak. He came to a stop and raised his sleeve to his mouth, holding off the smoke that already stung his lungs. He threw his other hand out to the side as he heard the thumping sound of Akira and the others moving to follow, and cried out, "No, stay back!"

He quickly leapt back out of the smoke, falling through the air until he landed back in the valley below. He kept his eyes fixed on the place above, feeling some relief as the six dogs leapt over to the other earth wall and away from the toxic smog.

"Naruto!" Fuu called, jumping down from the carriage and running towards him. Once he was sure that man was gone, he straightened up and slipped Eko onto his back again, "Who _was _that?!"

"… Dunno." Naruto replied, his eyes still fixed on that place. He was troubled by something, hence the serious look he now wore, "But I get the feeling he's alone, and he's been here for a while."

"Will he come back?" Fuu asked, looking in the same direction. She felt a little worried, this was the first time she had come so close to a Shinobi who was a possible danger to her. Though she didn't want to admit it, her heart was pounding. She looked at Naruto, remembering how easy he had made his fight look. He almost seemed to enjoy it. But right now he had a particularly intense look, one that she was sure she had never had to wear for a moment in her life.

"Yeah…" he said, in a low voice, "Definitely."


	26. The scarred Shinobi

I thought about adding more to this, but considering the time I'd be as well as starting the next chapter. Didn't get much in terms of reviews last chapter, which wasn't a surprise, but a hindrance to motivation. Anyway, I'll get to the next chapter, and finish this mission with it.

Disclaimer: ... Thug aim.

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**The scarred Shinobi**

It was early the next day, the morning sun had just finished rising and the sky was now a calm blue. Gaara listened to the sound of the wakening birds, chirping and flying around while he sat motionless on the sand. Utakata and Yagura were taking paper scrolls and forming a large decagon around him, the lettering on one passing onto the next as they formed a circle. Even then the last lettering moved back onto the first, forming an endless cycle of indecipherable seals.

Once they had finished that, they produced even more scrolls from the sack laid aside. Gaara couldn't help but wonder where they had procured these from, but was even more curious about their purpose. The two ex-Kiri nin took those other scrolls and laid them out on each edge of the decagon, unravelling them so that they all led straight to Gaara.

"Take your sweater off, we'll need to draw seals on you." Utakata said, as he pulled the third scroll's end towards Gaara. The red haired boy nodded and did what he was told, slipping his sweater off and laying it before him. Yagura took it and set it aside as he passed, spreading another scroll towards him in the process.

The process seemed more than a little complicated, Gaara was aware that these two had been working since dawn to prepare all this. Like yesterday however, it was Utakata who was the one most willing to go through with it. Yagura had remained quiet, letting himself become immersed in the task he wanted no part in.

Gaara sat perfectly still as Utakata and Yagura knelt to either side if him, with brushes and ink at the ready. He was like a stone statue, right up until the point the brushes actually touched him. The two boys quickly retracted their brushes as Gaara shivered, his eyes suddenly became angry at his own reaction.

"_You could throw a wave of kunai, and this guy wouldn't even blink."_ Utakata thought, as he smirked at Gaara's expense. He then moved forward with the brush again, noticing Gaara had tensed up considerably, _"But he probably hasn't known a soft touch for years."_

Yagura ignored Gaara's rigid manner for his benefit, he knew that this was likely to be very uncomfortable for him. It was admirable that he could put up with it, having sensitive nerves was hell at times like this.

Gaara fixed his eyes on the ocean line, trying his best to ignore the delicate brushes drifting across his skin. One of the last things he would ever admit to being was ticklish, he'd sooner throw himself into the ocean. However even he had to admit that others knowing would make no difference, who would dare investigate the truth of such a thing?

It took several painstaking minutes, but eventually the brushes were lifted and placed aside. Gaara let out the slightest breath of relief, not daring to let the other two see it. His arms, chest and back were covered in black kanji, all of them running towards his stomach. Utakata and Yagura both got to their feet, stepping around to check their work over.

"It looks about ready." Utakata said, lightly rubbing his chin with his finger as he looked over Gaara's back. Yagura gave a nod of reply from the other side, his arms folding as he narrowed his eyes.

"You still sure you want to do this?" Yagura asked, making a last ditch attempt to stop this situation before it really began. However, Gaara didn't speak a word of reply. The look he gave Yagura more than suffice to get his answer across. Yagura let out an annoyed sigh, before turning around and heading close to the water, "Fine, Utakata, get out of the way."

"Sure thing." Utakata said, stepping back to a safe distance. Once he was outside the decagon, Yagura turned back and faced Gaara. He wore the look of someone who believed he was condemning another man, but he had done all he could. All that was left was to go through with what they were planning, and hope for the best.

"Ok…" he said, slowly raising his hands as he prepared to form seals, "Let's begin."

Fuu slowly opened her eyes, hazily looking over to the carriage not so far away. The birds above had woken her up from what had been a rather uneasy sleep. She couldn't quite remember what it was she had dreamt, just that there had been lots of incoherent yells involved.

She pushed herself up a half sitting position, leaning on her arm as she looked around. The servants were all still fast asleep, and the guards only beginning to stir. Naruto was nowhere to be seen, though he had been here up until Fuu fell asleep last night.

He had suggested that everyone get some rest, and that he would watch over them in the meantime. No one had complained, but Fuu had done her best to stay awake too. It seemed she had been unable to do so however, her stamina clearly was no match for Naruto's.

Guiltily she lifted herself to her knees, stretching her arms and groaning inwardly as she felt the sense of relief that often came with such an action. She raised her brow in surprise though, as she felt something fall off her and onto the ground. She looked down at it, what was Kensuke's happi doing draped over her?

"Hey." came a voice, causing Fuu to look behind her.

"Naruto-san!" Fuu exclaimed, watching as the blond emerged from the bushes. He had a rather bedraggled look about him, his eyes half closed and his frame slouching low. Fuu gave him a closer look, and realised he was looking a little pale, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Naruto replied, rubbing his head wearily. Though he said such a thing, he certainly didn't look it, "Dunno what that bastard was using, but looks like that gas didn't agree with me."

"You- you should be getting some rest!" Fuu hastily said, placing both hands on the ground as she gave him a worried look. She knew it would be bad if he was unable to fight in his condition, especially since he believed the enemy from yesterday was coming back.

"No time, we gotta move." Naruto replied, straightening up as best he could. He was putting on as best an act as he could, but Fuu could see through it. For once the weight of the blade on his back seemed to be affecting him. He turned away to the road ahead, looking to the place where this long valley ended, "I'll take the lead, Daisuke and Hotei will come with me, but the others will watch over the group."

"But-" Fuu began, taking a step forward and raising her hand to stop him. Naruto was already making his way away, waving behind him with a half limp hand.

"Give that back to Kensuke, I told him to give it up while you were sleeping." he said, looking back and giving a reassuring grin that didn't really do the job.

"Huh, that was you?" Fuu asked, rising to her feet with the happi in her hand, "What did you do that for?"

"Eh, just something Kisame-sensei told me." Naruto replied, shrugging as he continued on his way, "You see a girl lying half naked on the road, she's either _in_ trouble, or she's going to be."

Fuu paused as Naruto jumped up the rock wall to join the two dogs he was taking with him. She cocked her head curiously, "Half naked gi-" she repeated, before her eyes bugged out in shock. Her face reddened, and she held the happi close to her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut and yelled out, "Don't think things like that about me!"

But Naruto was already too far away to hear her, the only people in proximity were the guards, servants, and Kensuke, all of whom were listening intently. Fuu came to realise this, the proof lying in the full face flush she now had. She threw the happi over to the carriage, before chasing after Naruto.

"Wha- Fuu-san!" Kensuke called out, picking his happi up off the ground and looking after the shrinking girl, "Why the hell are my guards leaving?!"

However, just like with Naruto, Fuu failed to hear the cries coming after her. She ran up the wall and followed after Naruto, who was riding upon the back of Daisuke, looking back at her incredulously, "What the hell, get back to the group will ya?!"

"Why should you get to take the lead?!" Fuu demanded, running alongside the blond with an irritated look on her face, "You're sick, so you should be the one staying back!"

To Fuu's surprise Naruto seemed to recover slightly, colour returning to his cheeks as he glared openly at her. Though with a look like that, it was very possible that it was just anger that was causing his blood to pump a little quicker.

"Baka, you've never even fought another Shinobi before!" he exclaimed, cutting right to the chase. Fuu's expression faltered slightly, she knew he was right about that. But she kept looking strong, her determination catching Naruto's notice most prominently. However determination didn't score points with him, he knew too well that will alone wasn't enough, "You take on this guy, you'll get killed!"

"But I-"

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, causing Fuu to flinch in fright, "I don't fight well with others, and there's no way I'm letting you take him on alone, so just get back already!"

Fuu stared hard at Naruto, but Naruto's eyes were much more piercing. She understood that nothing she said was going to change his mind, so in the end she had no choice. She slowed down, and allowed him to move on ahead.

"Sorry, but I can't let anything happen to you!" Naruto called, giving a nod of thanks as he turned his head back to the front. Fuu came to a stop, watching Naruto's back with a cross expression.

"_No, I'm sorry."_ Fuu thought, as she reached into her pouch and pulled out a mini blowgun and a dart case. With lightning quick movements, she took a dart from the case and slipped it into the blowgun, before taking it between her lips and aiming, _"You'll die like that."_

"_Look out!"_

Naruto whipped his head back, looking at Fuu in shock. Before he could make any other movement, the dart she fired pierced his neck, injecting a strong sedative straight into his system. With the condition he was currently in, the drug only had a quicker effect on him as his vision soon became blurry.

"_Damn… it…"_ he thought, as he collapsed on Daisuke's back.

Yagura was crouched down on the sand, his teeth gritted as his hands were pressed flat on the scroll before him. He watched the experiment nervously, his sclera already darkened to a red just in case. A bead of sweat dripped down from his temple as he put all his effort into keeping the Jutsu he was using constant. The effects were already clear to see.

All twenty of the scrolls, each of which had been covered in a combination of lettering damn near impossible to replicate, were now completely blank. They looked almost brand new, but the sand and ocean water were beginning to stain them. More interesting though was what had become of the kanji written across them. Now they all lay upon Gaara's body, glowing a dull red as the circled around in an uncountable number of directions. The seals lost their form and meaning as they were horded on Gaara's lean frame, moving fast without the slightest sign of slowing or fading.

The only places they didn't seem to occupy was the seal that had appeared on his stomach, which was a rough design of the kanji's for wind, desert and sun in a circle segmented thrice by unreadable lettering. The other place free of the seals were his eyes, which were wide open and frozen in place. With his eyes like that and his mouth clamped shut, his appearance really was quite scary.

Something suddenly happened, the sand that occupied the decagon reacted without warning, swirling around Gaara in a mild cyclone that slowly grew in speed. Yagura narrowed his eyes while Utakata shielded his own, this was really growing to be quite violent.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Utakata yelled, as the whirling sand created a wind strong enough to cover anything quieter. He took a step back as the small storm grew fierce, sand striking his skin hard and causing him to cough as he accidentally breathed some in, "IS THE ICHIBI TAKING OVER?!"

"NO, NOT YET!" Yagura shouted back, lowering his stance more to increase his wind resistance. He could sense the furious chakra that was the Ichibi no Shukaku pulsing from Gaara's body, but because of the seals it couldn't form into anything and was pulled back inside, "GAARA-SAN KNOWS THE ICHIBI'S POWER, THIS ISN'T A BATTLE OF STRENGTH, IT'S A BATTLE OF WILL!"

Utakata barely caught that, and it failed to make him feel any better. Though he had little doubt that if it was strength, the Ichibi would win, if it came to will, then the worry of not knowing what the outcome would be felt even worse. From the sight he was seeing, he certainly didn't envy Gaara right now.

In the eye of the storm, Gaara sat unaffected by the world around him. His eyes were blank and unseeing, and his form unmoving. Though this was mostly impart to the Fuinjutsu which was being used on him, he probably couldn't have moved if he wanted to.

Then something happened. The storm came to a sudden halt, the sand suspended in mid air as if time itself was taking a pause. Yagura and Utakata both looked up in surprise, watching the transient column of sand frozen in place.

"What's happening?" Utakata breathed, taken in by the sight before him with a look of awe. On the other side, Yagura watched with the same mesmerized look, caught in the worried thought of whether what he was seeing was a good thing or bad.

Utakata slowly straightened up, looking through the still sands to Gaara. The red haired boy still seemed unaware, his almost stubborn refusal to move making him seemingly identical to the immediate area around him. Utakata took a step closer, reaching out to touch the hovering sand. But before he could do so, everything began moving once more, and he hastily retracted his hand.

"Tch!" Yagura grunted, his teeth bared as the sand suddenly converged on Gaara, enwrapping and enveloping him in a massive sphere. Yagura took this as a negative, was the sane trying to stop the Jutsu? That was how he saw it anyway, and was getting ready to act on it.

The sphere was steadily contracting, growing smaller and smaller until it was a size that Gaara could barely be able to fit in. It was then that it looked its most solid, it seemed to Yagura that it would take something of massive magnitude just to break through such a barrier.

"_Well, if that's the way it has to be."_ Yagura thought, as his body tensed up. Red chakra slowly began to pour out of his body, like a thick sweat secreting from his skin.

"Wait!" Utakata called, throwing his hand out with his eyes wide. He was watching the sphere as if it were about to explode, but his reason for stepping in was far from that.

The sphere of sand was crumbling, slowly falling apart as if it had lost its strength. Both Utakata and Yagura watched as Gaara's red hair became visible, but not much else. The sand lay in a pile, burying him inside it. The other Jinchuriki were confused, what had happened?

For several moments there was nothing, and then came movement. The sand shifted aside as Gaara stirred, slowly rising to his feet. The desert dust continued to pour off of him even as he stood, his eyes closed but calm.

"The sand…" Yagura whispered, as he slowly removed his hands from the scroll.

Though still upon his body, the sand had stopped moving the way it had. Instead it seemed to be changing, taking a shape of its own on top of Gaara's body. It crawled along his arms, covering the outer side and running down the back of his hands. It then dripped down slightly, until it hung about a foot past his fingers. The same thing seemed to be happening behind him, the sand forming on his back and trailing down to the ground behind him.

The sand then began to harden, taking on a more solid form. The mounds that were now draped over his shoulders and spread down his arms, formed into arms themselves. They were long and thin, though still thicker than Gaara's. Blue vein like markings appeared across them in random places, and the end of the sand arms sharpened so that each hand had three black tipped claws, one positioned as a thumb would be.

From the mound on his back grew similar markings, though it also had several points running down it just like the claws on the arms. It formed into a giant tail, sitting down on the sand in an almost relaxed state. It was a large, thick thing, with the tip being the only point that wasn't blackened.

Then came the final measure. As Gaara stood there, taking deep breaths that made his chest fully expand, more of those markings came to appear on his own skin. But the most intense aspect came when he slowly opened his eyes. His sclera had blackened and his iris turned a deep gold. His pupils had also changed shape, forming into four point stars that curved inwards, with four black dots appearing around them. Gaara looked across to the horizon with those eyes, before lowering down to Yagura.

"… Give me your blood."

"Hyunnn!"

Naruto shifted slightly, furrowing his brow as he heard one of the dogs whining close by. His eyes were closed tight, the light of the sun irritating and giving his eyelids a red colour to them. He was disturbed once more as he felt a large wet nose touch his neck, making him shiver from the cold.

"Hey, cut it-" he began, before his eyes snapped open. In an instant he was sitting up, alert and whipping his head around fervently, "Hey Fuu!"

He looked around the place he lay, it looked like Daisuke and Hotei had placed him down on the grass and now lay beside him, looking at him uncertainly. But Fuu was nowhere to be seen, from the looks of things he was at the exact same place he'd lost consciousness.

"Damn it…" he muttered, reaching up and pulling the dart from his neck. Why the hell had no one told him Fuu had things like these?! And for that matter, just where was she?

"Hey, Naruto-san!" came Kensuke's voice. Naruto looked over to his right, he was still on top of the valley wall not too far away from where the group had started off. That either meant that he hadn't been out long or they hadn't moved.

"Where's Fuu-san?" Naruto asked, giving them a look that said he wanted an answer fast. Fortunately Kensuke had no problem complying.

"She ran off that same way you were going!" he called up, holding his hands to his mouth to make his voice clearer, "It's been about a minute or two since she left!"

"Fuck!" Naruto cursed, throwing himself to his feet. He looked off into the trees, Fuu was out there on her own?! He looked over to the two dogs behind him with a serious expression, "Stay with Kensuke!"

The dogs whined again, but Naruto ignored him as he darted off into the woods. Though he hadn't been out for long, Fuu was already well out of sight. He could just barely pick up her tracks from faint footprints in the soft earth, but the ground was growing harder the farther he got from the valley.

"_You idiot!" _Naruto thought, as he weaved his hands through a series of hand signs. He could only hope she was close enough for this to work, otherwise he would need to get one of the dogs to come along. He didn't want to weaken the defences of Kensuke's group, and so he tried this instead, "_Ninja art: Biju Resonance Call!"_

He placed his hands around his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, the sound piercing through the trees and seeming to echo as it moved. He kept his eyes shut tight as the Jutsu allowed faint images to form in his mind, but nothing completely visible appeared.

It took several desperate moments before he picked anything up, but his brow suddenly rose as the waves of his Jutsu struck something hard. In moments he could see a near perfect form of Fuu, lit up in a sparking red outline. He saw her whip her head in his direction, her lips parting in a look of surprise. Naruto almost let out a breath of relief, but then he froze as the sound waves struck something that hadn't been there a moment ago, something that was right in front of Fuu.

Moving as fast as he could, Naruto raced through the trees. The wind howled past his ears, but he ignored it as he listened out for any other defining noise. He had a very good idea as to what that form that appeared by Fuu had been, and it didn't make him feel the least bit secure.

The first sounds came, the clang of metal on metal. He could hear the swift strikes clearly, whoever was on the offensive was attacking fast. With serious doubts that that person was Fuu, Naruto gripped Eko's hilt and prepared to step in.

"_Hang on Fuu!" _he thought, gritting his teeth as he pulled the blade out and held it behind him. By now he could make an accurate estimate as to where they were, and so was able to act accordingly. He leapt up into the trees to obscure his movements, and covered the last hundred yards to reach the troublesome girl and her opponent.

"_Down there!"_

Naruto nodded, leaping high into the air as the trees came to an abrupt end. He soared over a wide earthy basin, where he could clearly see Fuu and the Shinobi from before taking each other on in close combat. Fortunately the scarred Shinobi had his back to Naruto. Unfortunately, Fuu was stupid enough to look up when she saw Naruto appear in the sky.

"GET DOWN!" Naruto yelled, slashing out with Eko in a sweeping movement. The silver sword sung as it arced through the air, slicing the hood of the cloak clean off. Unfortunately though, that was all Naruto had succeeded in hitting. The owner of that cloak had removed it just in time to roll out of the way, making quite a bit of distance between Naruto and Fuu.

"How are you even here?!" Fuu demanded, as she turned to stand next to Naruto. She wore an angry look, but judging by how quickly she had moved, she was far from upset that he had arrived.

"Like hell a weak ass drug is gonna keep me down!" Naruto yelled in reply, shooting her a glare from the corner of his eyes as he readied himself, "Then you come looking for this guy… I'll deal with you later."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Hey hey, don't get distracted now!" the scarred Shinobi called, drawing their attention back to him. Naruto looked the man over, if not for his scars he would probably seem to be in his late twenties. His black hair swept away from his face, spiking at the back like the wind was hitting him hard. He wore a tight black muscle shirt and trousers to match, fairly suitable clothing for a Shinobi. The double bladed staff he had used against Naruto was held in one hand behind his back, ready for battle at a moment's notice, "This ought to be more interesting!"

"Damn it, just stay back!" Naruto ordered, glancing at Fuu just before he ran off. Fuu watched him with cross eyes, tensing up as Naruto and the enemy clashed blades.

"Like hell I will." she muttered, as she began forming hand signs.


	27. Nikusui

Ok, after that last chapter I discovered that the five asterixes I've been using as line breaks are being erased for some damned reason, so I'm gonna try using the breaks that are offered on the editing page here. Fortunately there's only one point where this happens, so it's not as big a deal. And don't bother asking what Nikusui means, it's not a collaboration of japanese words like I usually do. If you're that interested, look it up. But I ain't gonna reveal it here because that would be a spoiler.

Disclaimer: Anyone else hoping Kabuto kinda circumsises himself with the chakra scalpels next time he jacks off?

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**Nikusui**

Sparks flew from the clashing blades as Naruto fought against the scarred Shinobi before him, the screeches and clangs produced by the strikes ringing out through the vast basin they stood in. The enemy wore a thin grin as he fought off Naruto's attacks; he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself.

"That killing intent is certainly something to be commended!" he announced, as he parried Naruto's attack and countered with his own. Naruto bent back, narrowly avoiding the blade that sliced through the air, and snapping back up in time to block the follow up attack, "But that blade of yours is hardly graceful!"

Naruto quickly switched his grip with Eko, catching the enemy in an offside deadlock with both weapons pointed to the ground. Naruto then released his right hand, throwing it through the air as he aimed to strike the disfigured man right in the face, "You gonna fight or talk?!" he demanded, charging Fuuton chakra into his clenched fist. His opponent managed to dodge back, but Naruto released his chakra with enough strength that the wind struck instead.

"Gah!" the scarred man gasped, as he was knocked back by the force of his attack. Naruto used his blade's ready position to perform a full rotation, ending with a downward slash to the enemy's gut. But the attack failed, the opponent managed to use Naruto's weapon and his own to push himself out of the Ekokaeten's reach, "What, ending things so soon?"

From a distance, Fuu watched them as she awaited an opening to help Naruto out. She had reached for her blow gun initially, but changed her mind as she realised her chances of hitting Naruto were high. So instead she sought other methods, deciding to go with her common strategy.

"Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu!" she called, before planting her hands on the ground. There was a sudden explosion of earth as a cloud of dust burst from the ground, filling the air around Fuu's body. Moments later, the wind blew the cloud away and revealed Fuu to be gone.

"Two on one eh?" the enemy mused, as he flipped back to his feet. He gripped his weapon at the ready, before charging Naruto once more, "I LIKE IT!"

Naruto grunted in annoyance as he met the blows with equal force, what the hell was Fuu up to? He didn't want nor need an interruption to this fight, but it seemed that she was going to act regardless. He had already warned her of his fighting style, there was no way he could guarantee that he wouldn't hit her if she was to interfere.

With an angered grunt, he whipped around and hurled Ekokaeten at his opponent, the giant blade whirling through the air dangerously. Then, while the enemy bent backwards to dodge, he threw his hands together in a seal, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called, summoning a clone on the other side of his opponent. That Naruto grabbed the flying Ekokaeten, and with his own copy sword wielded one in each hand. The scarred Shinobi saw this from his own move, and continued his momentum to flip over and take on the fake Naruto.

"The more the merrier!" he called, as he defended from the clone's attacks. While those two were engaged in combat, the real Naruto ran towards them, jumping in the air as the clone tossed Eko up to him. Then the two Naruto's brought their swords down hard, forcing the enemy to raise his weapon to block both strikes, "Bring on all that you-"

"Don't you ever shut up?!" Naruto exclaimed, as his Kage Bunshin dispersed and threw the scarred Shinobi off balance. Naruto used this moment of confusion to force the double bladed staff into the ground, where he sliced through the air with his hand to remove the enemy of one of his. He missed however and struck the staff instead, making a clean cut in the middle.

"Insolent whelp!"

With a grunt of effort, the enemy freed the half of his weapon trapped underneath Eko and with it jumped back. He now wielded both halves as if they were two individual swords, before running in again, "This is a fight to the death, what right have you to complain?!" he demanded, as he began throwing a volley of slashes in Naruto's direction. Without the time to pull Eko from the ground, Naruto abandoned the blade for the moment and dodged back, keeping distance from the wild swings of his opponent.

"FUUTON: REPPUSHO!" he cried, throwing his open hands at his opponent as he landed on the ground. The intense blast of wind that burst from his palms hit the enemy and forced him straight off his feet.

He hurtled through the air, stumbling across the ground until he was left lying on his back. He didn't stay like that for long though, Naruto was already running to grab his blade and follow up his attack. However, just as he pushed himself up, the ground next to him exploded.

"What?!" he breathed, his eyes slowly turning to the right. As rocks and debris burst into the air, so did Fuu reappear, bearing down on him with a kunai gripped in both hands. He narrowed his eyes at her mean glare, her killing intent failed to match the look she gave him, "So dispassionate, disgusting!"

He lashed out with his arm, striking Fuu at her side and knocking her to the ground. Then, with a flourish he was back on his feet, wielding his weapons menacingly, "To die in a glorious manner, I will accept nothing less!"

Before he could deal a finishing blow however, he was forced to use one of his blades to hold off Naruto. When he found however that Naruto's strength far surpassed his own, he realised he would need both weapons. But defending like that gave Fuu enough of an opening, she slashed with her kunai and dealt a nasty cut to the enemy's leg.

"HRN!" the scarred Shinobi grunted, leaping back from his two opponents. He knelt on the ground as his injured leg gave beneath him; he used his weapons to support his weight. He glared as Fuu rose to her feet, standing beside Naruto who was looking down on the enemy with a glare, "To look at me in such a way, how despicable!"

"I got this." Naruto said, reaching out with his hand and pushing Fuu back. The enemy however seemed displeased with this, his eyes narrowing and his teeth bared.

"Daring to look down on me… such a thing is a sin worthy only of death!" he hissed, as he discarded his weapons and threw his hands together in the serpent seal, "I AM HAYASHI SEIRYUU, DO NOT FORGET IT!"

Naruto and Fuu both tensed as the ground beneath their feet suddenly shuddered. It almost felt like an earthquake, the constant shaking of the earth felt like it was growing in intensity. But both of them knew that there was no Jutsu that could have such an effect from only a single seal, this was something else than what they were being led to believe.

"Look out!" Fuu called, pulling Naruto back as she pointed down to the ground before them. There and all over the basin small pipes began jutting from the ground at angles, this one pointing straight at them. Naruto and Fuu both reacted quickly, separating as a thick purple smoke began pumping out from the pipes and into the air. Naruto, who had been prepared for this, hastily threw his haori off as the smoke enveloped him. Not too far away, Fuu crouched down on the ground as she tried to see through the smoke. The scarred Shinobi, Seiryuu, had already vanished into the fog of poison.

"Fuu!" called Naruto's muffled voice. Fuu looked up in surprise as Naruto appeared beside her, shirtless for whatever reason. That reason became apparent however when he realised the bandages from his arms were missing, he had hastily removed them and wrapped one of them around the lower half of his face. He held out the other one to Fuu, an intense look in his azure eyes, "Put this on!"

Fuu looked at the bandages uneasily; they would most definitely be filthy from his sweat. But more than that, she had no need to use them, she knew well enough that the gas would be no problem for her, "I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

Before Naruto could say a word of protest, she ran off into the cloud with a determined look on her face. Naruto called out to her in a last ditch attempt, but was completely ignored, _"You're fine? What do you mean?"_ he thought, as he hastily tied the bandage back around his arm. He then gripped Eko and slipped him into place on his back, _"I can't use you like this."_

"_Yeah, make sure you don't hit her."_

Naruto nodded, glad Eko understood. He then closed his eyes to block his already useless vision, focusing his attention to his ears as he listened out for anyone nearby. It was unfortunate, but the hissing of the pipes obliterated any slight sound that could be caused. He came to the conclusion that there was only one move then; he would need to get out of this cloud for the moment.

He whipped around and ran off to the edge of the basin, just barely able to see the rising walls as he neared them. He leapt up high into the air, breaking free of the cloud of smoke as he sought one of the trees to hide himself in. However, as soon as he regained proper vision he realised what a grievous error it would be to continue.

All around, for a good dozen metres, the ground was littered with makibishi, tiny spikes meant to limit ones range of movement. That wasn't all however, the closest trees in any direction were covered with explosive tags placed carelessly, some of which had even fallen down to the earth below. Naruto was in shock by this, how prepared was that guy?!

"_I get it."_ he thought, as he used a quick Fuuton: Reppusho to push himself back into the smoke. He turned on the spot and focused his senses on his surroundings, his expression steely, _"It wasn't just coincidence that we're fighting in a strange place like this then."_

A smirk then played across Naruto's face, though it was almost hidden behind his bandages. In truth, the more he got used to the situation, the more he liked it. His opponent undoubtedly using that gas mask of his, and so had clear vision and could breathe easily. He also knew his traps very well, while Naruto had no idea what to expect. He had a feeling that if Kisame was in his place, he would be feeling much the same right now.

"_All right then, let's have some fun with this situation."_ he thought, as he lowered his stance. He then broke off into a run, dashing through the poison fog with his eyes darting all around as he sought out the man named Hayashi Seiryuu. Deciding to narrow his search, he formed his hands together in the cross ram seal, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called, summoning clones all around him. They all broke off in separate directions, ready take a hit to the end of locating the enemy.

Naruto came to a stop, focusing entirely on his surroundings as he awaited results. He also had no clue where Fuu was, he couldn't just attack blindly in case he hit her, _"Damn it, how much of this stuff does he have?!"_ he thought, as the hissing of the pipes prevailed. He had often been told that preparation was half the battle, even if his sensei had told him otherwise.

"_Those who are really strong don't _need_ to prepare." _Kisame had said,_ "If your body hurts like hell at the end of a battle, at least you're still alive."_

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, why was he recalling such a thing at a time like this? He shook his head, before whipping it back behind him. Out of nowhere, one of his Kage Bunshin had been taken out,_ "There?"_

But then another one disappeared at the opposite end, followed by another in a completely different place. Naruto turned on the spot as all over his Kage Bunshin appeared to be taken out, not finding out a reason until a kunai almost struck him in the gut. He avoided it, rolling to the side and keeping a low position as he looked around. There was no way Hayashi Seiryuu could possibly see through this fog, he had to be using other means of attacking.

"You seem like you're having some trouble." came the voice of Seiryuu. Naruto spun on the spot, turning to look behind him at the source of the voice. He could faintly see the form of a person, too tall to be a Kage Bunshin or Fuu. That only left one possibility, which was confirmed as the figure stepped closer, "Surely you can overcome such a trivial trial?!"

He brandished his twin blades threateningly, knowing that he had great advantage in this situation. Naruto knew this too, and concluded that he would need to act carefully. He began to reach for Eko again, but stopped as his eyes adjusted to the area around him. All around the place were flitting shadows, his Kage Bunshin, and potentially Fuu. He knew very well that this could be another trap, but he was unwilling to take that risk at this time.

"Man, I'm really getting sick of you." Naruto said, smirking as he showed the palms of his hands to his opponent. His smirk widened into a grin as he clapped his hands together, before thrusting them straight at Hayashi Seiryuu, "I'M TAKING YOU DOWN!"

Seiryuu rolled to his right to dodge the blast of wind, failing to realise that he had been tricked. All around the place, each of the Kage Bunshin used the same Jutsu, shattering the poison fog and blowing it away. Then with the momentary visibility, they all leapt high into the air and formed the same series of seals.

"FUUTON: CRESCENT MIRAGE!" they yelled, whipping their arms through the air. Naruto watched Seiryuu with a malicious look as the enemy Shinobi whipped his head around. The basin was bombarded with blades of wind, the earth shattering from the strength of the impacts. Cracks and fissures appeared in the ground, and the pipes were all cut off from their source.

Whatever the gas was coming from must have become broken, as the fog lifted and was no more. Fuu also reappeared, far away at the other side of the basin. She looked around in alarm, shocked to find she was nowhere near the target she'd been chasing. With a quick turn she ran after the enemy, gripping her kunai to the side with both hands and wearing a determined look.

As all of the Kage Bunshin dispersed, Hayashi Seiryuu's attention was forced back onto the real Naruto, who was making a break for him at top speed. The scarred nin readied his weapons, his eyes narrowing as he realised Naruto was making no effort to use his blade. It was this clue that made him notice the footsteps behind him, and allowed him to block the stab from behind as Fuu reached him.

"Didn't I already tell you?!" he growled, swinging his foot around and knocking Fuu aside. The green haired girl was sent flying into the cracks of the rocks, and once more she disappeared from view, "I will accept no such death!"

He whipped around just as Naruto reached him, planting one of his blades in the ground as he hopped into the air and threw his feet into Naruto's stomach. The blond let out a gasp of shock as he was winded and sent soaring through the air. He rolled across the ground, feeling every jutting piece of rock that struck his body. He came to a stop, his filthy body covered in sweat.

"_Damn it…"_ he thought, pressing his hands against the ground and wincing. The toll of using both his Tajuu Kage Bunshin and Crescent Mirage Jutsu was really weighing down on him; he was beginning to feel exhausted, _"Looks like I overdid it."_

"Naruto-san!"

Naruto looked up in shock, Fuu was back on her feet and standing between the two Shinobi. She fixed her eyes on Hayashi Seiryuu, gripping her kunai tight as she waited for the slightest indication of movement. But she also wore a worried look, calling out to Naruto uncertainly.

"This is beyond disappointing." muttered the enemy, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Naruto steadily rose himself to his knees, his aching body reluctant to do as it was told, "It seems that I cannot gain that which I seek from you. So would you kindly depart from this world and bother me no more?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a small device in Hayashi Seiryuu's hand, a small thin box with a button on the end. The enemy wore a bored look as he pushed the button with his thumb, before stepping off to the right and discarding the item.

Naruto whipped his head back as he heard a dull _thunk, _seeing a small abnormal compartment open up. Almost as soon as it was revealed, the holes inside fired out a volley of kunai with explosive tags at the end, straight for Naruto and Fuu.

"_Shit!"_ Naruto thought, they were moving much too fast. Seeing no other choice, he dashed for Fuu and grabbed her tight, crouching down on the ground as he used Eko as a barrier between him and the kunai.

"N-Naruto?!" Fuu exclaimed, shocked by the sudden contact. But then she came to realised the reason as the first explosion resounded. Light filled the area around them as they were struck by the heat wave, but kept safe by the steel wall behind them. Fuu looked back with wide eyes, shocked to see that despite their defence, Naruto was bleeding. Scattered rocks had scratched his arms, and he was clearly in pain by them.

"Keep your head down." he ordered, forcing her to bow her head with his hand.

"You don't have to-" Fuu began, but the explosions blocked out her words. Naruto just gripped her tight as the last tag blew up, this one the largest yet. But then it was over, the two of them left with a dull ringing in their ears as the dust settled. Naruto slowly raised his head, was that it?

"KAAAAHHH!" cried a voice from behind. Naruto looked back in shock, wasn't that the enemy? He stared at Hayashi Seiryuu with wide eyes, stunned by the sight set out before him. It seemed that he had intended to use the distraction of the explosives to get in for a sneak attack. But he had been stopped by one detrimental factor; Fuu had grabbed him from behind.

"_What?!" _Naruto thought, his brow creasing as he tightened his grip on the girl in his arms. Fuu was here... and there too? But then… that meant… _"She's got a Bunshin Jutsu like mine?"_

His thoughts were distracted from further examining this by Hayashi Seiryuu's continued screams. He looked over the grip Fuu had on the man, she had one arm wrapped firmly around his neck while the other was hooked under his armpit. Both her legs were wrapped around his stomach, lifting his shirt off and exposing his skin beneath. It was from these places of contact that Naruto came to realise the source of that man's pain.

Wherever Fuu was touching him, his skin was reacting violently. Steam rose from his body and a quiet hiss mixed with his cries as he desperately tried to free himself. For the first time since he met Fuu, Naruto was in awe of her. Was this even possible with ninjutsu? He had never before encountered something like it. Yet she was using it as if it was second nature to her, wearing the determined expression of someone well practiced with such an ability. She raised her eyes to Naruto, spotting the way he was holding the other Fuu and flushing furiously.

"What're you doing?!" she demanded, her voice shrill and uneasy. Naruto blinked in surprise, looking down to the Fuu in his arms. His expression became aghast as this Fuu's already tan skin darkened more so, her clothes and hair also turning the same shade of brown. This was a Tsuchi Bunshin?! The Bunshin crumbled apart into dust, and Naruto was left holding onto the empty air. Behind him, Hayashi Seiryuu was finally able to gain control of the situation, gripping Fuu's arms tight despite the pain that came with it.

"Get of me you little bitch!" he snarled, before throwing Fuu over his shoulder. The smaller girl cried out as she was slammed onto her back, the rocks scraping her skin and hurting her, "You won't learn will y-"

_SCHLICK!_

Fuu watched with a frozen look as Naruto appeared from nowhere, forcefully embedding his blade into Hayashi Seiryuu's stomach. The scarred Shinobi gasped silently, while Naruto's eyes were hidden behind shadows. The attack had been so swift, it was like the sun had been eclipsed again.

The scarred Shinobi paused with a stunned look, his eyes slowly lowering to the blade piercing through his chest. He almost seemed in disbelief of the wound that had been dealt to him.

"… I see…" he breathed, lifting his eyes to Naruto. The blond looked up to him with a creased brow, a little staggered by the sudden look of peace on his opponent's face, "Then this is it…"

He pressed his hands against the side of the Ekokaeten, and with immense effort he pushed himself off of the blade. He stumbled back when he was away, falling to the ground painfully. Naruto slipped Eko back onto his back, taking a step forward as he looked down to the pitiful person before him. Seiryuu looked up at Naruto with hazy eyes, slipping his gas mask off and revealing a small smile.

"Thank you… for this." he said, moments before the light in his eyes faded away. He slumped down on the ground, and was most certainly dead.

Naruto continued to watch him, stunned by those last words. His hands tightened into fists as he clenched his teeth, glaring at the dead man hatefully.

"N-Naruto-san?" Fuu asked, slowly rising to her feet. Naruto looked over his shoulder, his glare flickering slightly as he remembered what she had done. He let out a discontented breath, before he stepped past the body and made for the group they had left behind.

"Come on." he said, as he began to make his way back to collect his discarded haori and return to the group. Fuu gave a quick nod, before hurrying to her feet and following him.

* * *

"Hayashi Seiryuu… is it familiar?" Kensuke wondered aloud, scratching his chin as he looked up at the sky. The group was moving at a faster pace to make up for lost time, Naruto and Fuu walked alongside Kensuke's carriage as they travelled, "No… I don't think so."

"Ah, Mokamoto-sama!" called the servant at the front left of the carriage. He looked over his shoulder to his master, who gave him a cocked brow as he listened, "Hayashi Seiryuu did you say?"

"You know him?"

"Hai, though not personally." the servant replied with a nod. He turned his head back to the front to watch where he was going, but he had Kensuke, Naruto and Fuu's attention, so spoke to inform them, "He was part of a ninja group that tried to make a hidden village in Nami no Kuni a long time ago. But the group was small, and as soon as they started growing other villages attacked them. In the end he was the only one left, and in a fit of despair he disappeared."

"Is that so?" Kensuke asked, resting his head against the back of his chair. He wore a calm look on his face, from what Naruto had told him, and what he had just heard, he was able to come to a conclusion, "Sounds like he wanted to join his comrades in the same way they died; in the heat of battle."

Naruto and Fuu both looked up at Kensuke, both feeling kind of annoyed at how wise he was sounding right now. Naruto had replaced his bandages properly on his arms and wore his haori once more, but he was still filthy from the earlier battle. He turned his gaze away, an annoyed look on his face as his eyes settled on Fuu.

"What you were doing back there was beyond stupid." he said, scolding her seriously. Fuu looked at him in shock; her take on events brought forward an entirely different opinion to that.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she demanded, looking back at him angrily, "You couldn't have taken that guy out on your own and you know it!"

"I wasn't _planning_ on taking that guy on at all!" Naruto yelled, causing Fuu to flinch in fright. She stared at him bewilderedly, a bead of sweat dripping down her brow as her eyes began darting back and forth.

"Uh… you weren't?" she asked, with an embarrassed look. She tried not to look as Naruto closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, he was in a particularly bad mood at the moment, "So, then… um… but what you said-"

"If he showed up I was gonna fight him, but I wasn't gonna go _looking _for him!" Naruto exclaimed, rapping his knuckles on top of Fuu's head hard. Fuu let out a small cry of pain, clutching her head tight. Naruto hit harder than most.

"Ow…" she complained, but kept quiet about it. She looked off to the ground with an embarrassed look; she had thought she was doing the right thing earlier. But after what Naruto told her, she realised she had been pretty stupid, "… Sorry."

Naruto glanced at her, his brow still furrowed in a frustrated manner. But he couldn't just scold her after she apologised, he remembered that there had once been a time where he had done such a thing only to have Kisame jump in at the last minute. Fuu was lucky in that sense, at least Naruto didn't wait until she was beaten within an inch of her life before doing anything about it.

He looked up to the road ahead; they had finally left that valley and now walked through an open plane. According to Kensuke their destination was just a mile away now, soon they would be heading back and finishing this damned annoying mission. He let out a sigh, before looking at Fuu from the corner of his eyes. There was just one thing he was curious about, "What was with that Jutsu you were using?" he asked, slipping his hands into his pockets and trying not to look _too_ interested. Fuu looked up at him with a raised brow, momentarily forgetting that he had seen that.

"Oh, that's my uh… uh…" she mumbled, before suddenly coming to a pause. She reached her hand up and gripped her chin, squinting with her eyes as she fell into deep thought, "My Tennei Dintei? Hettei Shobai? Flaky Gunky?

"You're kidding, right?" Naruto asked, with an exasperated look. Fuu blinked in surprise, before hitting her hand as a light bulb flickered in her mind.

"Kekkei Genkai!" she exclaimed with a proud look. Naruto, not so sure she should be proud of that, just gave her a look of tired disbelief, "Yeah, Nikusui!"

"Nikusui?" Naruto repeated, his expression becoming curious despite his earlier efforts. Fuu nodded fervently, looking rather pleased with herself despite the aching sensation still on her head.

"Yeah, that's it!" she said cheerfully, giving an overenthusiastic nod. She placed her hands on her hips and grinned broadly, had she really forgotten that she'd just been scolded a moment ago? But then she got a confused look as she recalled Naruto's question of just what it was she did, "Uh… it's sort of like an acid made of chakra that comes out my skin. I think sensei said it attacks the nerves, then melts the skin or something… I think."

"So… you can sweat acid?" Naruto asked, with a look that was more than a little disgruntled, "That's… kinda creepy."

Fuu's moment of pride disappeared with those words as once more she wore an affronted look. She threw her hands down by her side as she said angrily, "Who asked you anyway?!"

Naruto shrugged, his exhaustion of both fighting an arguing with Fuu had resulted in a sort of apathy that kept him from giving a damn about anything. Fuu realised this and fell silent, he really did look pretty beat up. She though back to the fight, how he had put so much effort in, giving it his all without a moment's hesitation. Then she remembered when the enemy launched those explosive kunai… how he had grabbed her Tsuchi Bunshin and mistook it for her, protecting it with all his might.

Fuu gasped silently, her hands flying to her cheeks. They suddenly felt very warm, was she blushing?! She shook her head feverishly, trying her best to get her blood out of her cheeks and somewhere else. She stared at the back of Naruto's head with a creased brow, silently cursing him for making her react that way.

"_Baka!"_ she thought, as her attempts failed and her cheeks reddened once more.


	28. Return of the fallen pair

I think it's about time, so here we go.

Disclaimer: Screw you guys, I'M GOING HOME!

* * *

**Return of the fallen pair**

Naruto and Fuu walked up the spiralling path of the base at a leisurely pace, glad to smell the damp air and feel the calm breeze of the place that was now their home. It was just midday, but the tall trees always offered a cool shade from the otherwise overbearing sun. The place was quiet today, though that was no surprise since the pair most likely to cause noise were just coming back from a mission.

"Hoy!" Naruto called, breaking the silence that had permeated peacefully in their absence. Fuu smiled and chimed in with her own call, mimicking Naruto's with a higher pitch. The two of them were in a good mood; they were looking forward to kicking back if only for a little while.

"You think anyone's there?" Fuu asked, cocking her head as she looked up into the shadows of the base. No one had appeared, or even called back to them. Though she hadn't expected much of a welcome back party, she would have thought at least Utakata would have said something.

"There'll be someone, can't just leave the place unattended can we?" Naruto replied, slipping his hands behind his head casually. His wounds had completely healed, much to Fuu's shock, and he was now back in pique condition. However he had been keeping quiet, and Fuu did the same in case he was still angry with her. But the smile that appeared on his proved otherwise as he nodded above, "Yo, Utakata!"

"Hey, Naruto." Utakata called from a couple of floors up. He gave them a wave as they ascended, one which Fuu happily returned. Though Naruto noticed that smile seemed half hearted, and the bags under his eyes suggested another thing too.

"Not getting rest?" he asked, as he and Fuu reached the older boy. Utakata cave a slight chuckle and nod, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"It's been a busy couple of days." he obscurely replied. That caught even Fuu's attention as the youngest Jinchuriki raised her brows questioningly, but Utakata failed to acknowledge her look.

Naruto watched Utakata uncertainly; he could see that he was trying to avoid something. With a slight frown, he looked to the room behind Utakata, though could see nothing within, "Where's Gaara and Yagura-san?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the room.

"Oh, well… they…" Utakata hesitantly replied. But he gave up his disinclination when he realised it was futile. He let out a tired sigh and pointed behind him, keeping his eyes closed with no wish to see the coming reaction, "They're sleeping."

"Oh?" Naruto murmured, looking at Utakata curiously. It took him a few moments of thinking, but when it hit him, it struck like a sledgehammer, "EHH?!"

Utakata began to explain, but Naruto wasn't listening. He shoved past Utakata and ran into the room, before coming to find that what Utakata said was true. Two beds were placed in the same room, Gaara and Yagura occupying one each. Both of them had their eyes closed, and judging from their breathing, the other thing Utakata said was also true. Naruto hurried over to Gaara's bed and crouched down beside his red haired friend, looking at him in concern.

"What the hell happened?!" he demanded, whipping his head back to Utakata. Fuu peered into the room, before gasping and rushing to Yagura's side much like Naruto had for Gaara. Utakata leant against the wall by the door, slipping his arms into a folded position as he watched his two unconscious comrades.

"It's my fault." he said, in a quiet voice. Naruto and Fuu both turned to face him from their positions, their brows furrowed as they wondered just what had happened while they were away, "I convinced Yagura-niisan to show Gaara-san how to control the Ichibi… but-"

"Control the-" Naruto repeated, before turning back around and gripping Gaara's shoulder. Ever so lightly he shook the boy, not wanting to seem too rough in case something bad happened, "Hey Gaara, you in there?"

"Maybe you should leave him." Utakata worriedly suggested, reaching out his hand hesitantly. But Naruto ignored him, he knew himself what sleep did to Gaara.

After a few moments of Naruto's light shakes, Gaara's eyes slit open slightly as he stirred. Naruto released him as soon as he saw that, kneeling back as he watched Gaara silently. The red haired boy blinked hazily, before raising his hand to his face and shielding his eyes from the light.

"I was… asleep?" he asked, though to no one in particular. He then spotted Naruto by his side, and with a grunt of effort he steadily raised himself to a sitting position, "You completed your mission?"

"Uh, yeah." Naruto replied, with a nod. He had barely remembered such a trivial thing, so distracted was he by the sight before him, "I dropped the money down at the bank when we got back." he then moved a little closer, the crease in his brow deepening as he stared at Gaara, "So what happened?"

"I don't know." Gaara simply replied, brushing some of his hair from his eyes. He had never looked so tired before as long as Naruto had known him. By this point, sleep had done him some short term harm as his energy failed to recover, "What was I doing?"

"We'd better wait until niisan wakes up first, he'll probably know more about what happened than me." Utakata replied, drawing unwanted attention back towards him. He straightened up and turned towards the door, looking over his shoulder with a face too tired to properly smile, "I'll get you something to drink, we could all probably use one."

"Ah, I'll help you." Fuu said, getting to her feet and hurrying after him. Utakata gave a nod as he waited, then the two left the others in peace. Naruto watched them until he could no longer hear their footsteps, before letting out a sigh and slipping down to a seated position with his back against the wall.

"Guy who hired us said if anything worthwhile turns up, he'll think about hiring us again." he said, as he rested his head on the wall and looked up at the ceiling, "But if he gives us another piece of crap mission like that, he can pay thirty seven million for all I care."

"Why thirty seven?" Gaara asked, his interest maintained only by the eccentricity of such a figure. Naruto looked up at Gaara with a raised brow, as if he was surprised that Gaara didn't already know where he was coming from.

"Put that with what we've already got and we'll have about enough to start looking for other Jinchuriki right?" he mused, with a light shrug. Gaara's brow twitched slightly at just how narrow minded Naruto was being, but three years had shown him that the blond wasn't capable of long term planning.

"Perhaps." he said, deciding against getting in a financial debate at this time. He didn't really feel like putting everything in layman's terms for Naruto's sake. But now that he thought about it, there wasn't that much he felt like doing at all, _"Is this what it means to rest?"_

"Heh, don't know what to do with yourself do you?" Naruto asked, with a cocky smirk. Gaara gave him a sideward look, even though he was right that just annoyed Gaara all the more. He didn't particularly like the idea that someone knew him so well.

"Hey, Naruto?!" called Utakata's voice, bearing a foreboding tone. Naruto and Gaara looked at each other with uncertain frowns, before Naruto rose to his feet and left to see what Utakata was calling him for.

He quickly descended down to the lower floor, heading into the kitchen area that Utakata and Fuu both occupied. The two of them were stood by the doorway to one of the bridges leading out into the trees, their backs to Naruto as they stared outside. Fuu looked at the blond as he entered the room, gesturing for him to quickly come closer.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, approaching the two of them with a curious look. He peered over their shoulders and looked in the general direction that their eyes were set in. It didn't take him long to spot the source of their attention, he too was interested in the small group of travellers down below.

"This place is more than a little out of the way." he muttered, as he lightly pushed past Utakata and Fuu. He looked down to the three boys standing by the trees below, each of them were looking up at them in just the same manner.

To the right was the tallest of the three, though not by much. From this distance it was hard to see, but that one had messy hair of very bright shade of white, hanging just over his eyes and down either side of his face. He wore a lilac sleeveless shirt and a belt with water bottles attached to it, and white trousers on his lower half. He stood with a hand on his hip, grinning up at Naruto with sharp teeth and violet eyes.

"_This guy… why does he remind me of Kisame-sensei?"_ Naruto thought, his brow creasing worriedly.

Beside that person was the shortest of the three, a boy with raven hair that like the first one hung down either side of his cheeks, but spiking out at the back as well. He wore a baggy white shirt that revealed most of his upper torso, but was kept in check by a large piece of blue cloth wrapped around his waist. Beneath that cloth was a pair of dark slacks and black sandals, and was held in place by a thick purple rope. Naruto could faintly see a blade behind the boy, but couldn't make out the style. What he could make out however were the onyx eyes that watched him impassively, eyes that for some reason pissed him off.

"_What a bunch of weirdoes." _he thought, before setting his eyes on the third and final person. He looked over the last member of the group, slowly zoning in on the mark on his forehead. He froze on the spot, his eyes widening in shock, _"No… it isn't…"_

"So you would be the "stupid looking boy with the giant blade", I assume?"

Naruto stared with his teeth gritted and his eyes fixed upon the last boy, the one he now _definitely _recognised. Though he had changed a lot, there was no mistaking that mark on his forehead, nor those cold, pupiless white eyes.

"Hyuuga Neji." Naruto said, his voice ringing with disbelief. He stepped out further onto the walkway, making sure to get a better look of the person who had nearly killed him three years ago.

"Nice to see you remember me this time, Uzumaki Naruto-kun." Neji replied, casually raising his hand to run through his long brown hair, which was tied back in a low tight ponytail with just a couple of strands hanging down over his face.

He wore a shirt that was the same style as the boy in the middle, but it had a closed collar and was unusually asymmetrical, with his right side just a short sleeve that revealed a fully bandaged arm, and the other so oversized not even his hand was visible. The shirt also had a tail to it, running down to just above his ankles. He too had black slacks and sandals, and also wore a purple rope tied around his waist. But what was most noticeable was that, somehow, his eyes were even more condescending than before, "Have you gotten stronger?"

"You wanna find out?" Naruto asked challengingly, gripping his blade in his hand as a smirk spread across his lips.

"Leave it be Naruto."

Naruto looked to his right, his brow rising in surprise as Gaara stepped between Utakata and Fuu, joining him on the walkway. He looked down to the three boys standing far down on the ground, his impassive look coming off as a little too aggressive, "Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Neji, what business do you have here?"

"Hey Sasuke, what is this some sorta reunion?" asked the white haired boy, scratching his head as he looked at the middle boy with a troubled expression, "So are these guys game or-"

He then came to a sudden pause as he somehow only just managed to notice the blade on Naruto's back. His brow rose impressively, a sheen appearing in his eyes that once again made Naruto see this boy as not unlike his sensei.

But then moments after the loom faded to disappointment, he dropped his gaze and took one of the water bottles from his belt. "That's not it." he said, as he opened the bottle with his teeth and began drinking from it. He took a few deep gulps before lowering the bottle again, looking up at Naruto with one eye narrowed, "Yo, rumour has it Momochi Zabuza is dead, and this place belonged to him. You ain't seen a giant sword have ya?"

"You won't find it here." Gaara replied, without even giving the person asking a fleeting glance. He folded his arms and fixed his eyes on Sasuke, the cold looks in their eyes meeting.

"Pfft, guess this was a waste then." the white haired boy muttered, turning around and beginning to head away, "Guess I'll look elsewhere."

"Hold on, Suigetsu." Sasuke said, looking back at his comrade for a moment. The boy called Suigetsu looked back with a half frown half surprised look; he clearly couldn't see the point in staying any longer. But Sasuke's eyes returned to Naruto and Gaara, most notably the former, "Last time we met, you were saved by someone. That person was Hoshigake Kisame, right?"

"Eh, Kisame?" Suigetsu repeated, with a confused frown. Naruto looked between the two, wondering what the big deal about that was.

"What about Kisame-sensei?" he asked, gaining a frown of his own as Suigetsu's head snapped up in his direction.

"Sensei?" he repeated, before breaking out in a fit of laughter. He grabbed his sides and bent over, his sharp teeth spread out in a huge grin that made Naruto and Gaara look at each other, "Looks like we've found an interesting guy!"

"Anyway." Sasuke said, silencing Suigetsu with a look. He then returned his eyes to Gaara, his expression revealing nothing, "I know that Hoshigake Kisame is partners with Uchiha Itachi. As his students, you probably know something useful. Tell me everything you know about that man."

"We are no longer affiliated with Akatsuki." Gaara replied, speaking clearly to make sure Sasuke made no mistakes about what he was saying, "Anything you know is most likely more than what we know."

The two stoic boys kept their eyes in a gridlock, one trying to see if the other was lying, while the other tried to convince the first to give up. The look lasted for several moments, but in the end it was Sasuke who decided to concede. Without another word he turned around and began taking his leave. Neji followed him after giving a smirk to Gaara, while Suigetsu waved to Naruto. The three of them then made back to the wilderness, almost disappearing from sight completely.

"Give up on finding Uchiha Itachi." Gaara said, his eyes narrowing as he gave Sasuke a commanding stare. The three boys stopped, but Sasuke kept his eyes firmly on the path ahead as Gaara's words caught him, "You cannot defeat him."

Though Sasuke made no move, Neji and Suigetsu both made a half turn to look up at the red haired boy. The two of them wore smirks, both malicious but at the same time impressed. Naruto watched them carefully; he had a bad feeling rising in his gut. Sasuke's head slowly turned, but before he could look, he disappeared in a flicker.

"_What?!"_ Naruto thought, quickly grabbing Eko's hilt once more and preparing to-

_SHLICKT!_

He froze as the sound hit his ear, coming from a place just a little to his right. He turned his head to look in that direction, his eyes widening and his pupils shrinking at the sight he saw.

Sasuke stood in front of Gaara, his lips almost at the desert boy's ear. The sand from the gourd maintained a solid position, reaching halfway towards the gap between the two boys. Through both ends, the front and the back, Sasuke's long thin blade pierced through Gaara's stomach and even the gourd itself.

"Don't label me under your weakling standards." Sasuke said, pulling his blade out in one smooth motion. Both Naruto and Gaara's breath were caught in their throat as blood flowed from the open wound, pouring out as Sasuke disappeared again.

"GAARA!" Naruto yelled, grabbing his friend before he fell off the bridge. Utakata and Fuu both rushed to his side, the former quickly removing the gourd while the latter supported Gaara's head. Naruto pressed his hand against the wound on Gaara's stomach, trying to do the same thing as the sand and stop the blood from flowing, "GAARA! GAARA!"

"NARUTO!" Utakata shouted, fixing his serious eyes on Naruto's hysteric ones, "I can help him for now, but if he doesn't see a doctor soon he'll die!"

_Ba-BUMF!_

Naruto knelt frozen, the world around him dragging to a standstill. He could almost feel the bridge beneath his feet collapsing, like he was falling through a deep chasm. Gaara… would die? No, there wasn't a chance in hell.

"_I won't… allow it!"_ he thought, as he slowly gritted his teeth. He looked down to Gaara, and then up at Utakata and Fuu, his expression turning livid as his jaw began to tighten, _"I won't… I won't…"_ he whipped his head down to the place the three boys had been, but were now gone, _"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!"_

"DAISUKE!" he screamed, throwing his head to the trees. One of the dogs who had been watching from the branches raised his head and looked straight at his master, "TAKE FUU TO NAMI!" Naruto ordered, before shooting Fuu a look that told his thoughts. Fuu gave a scared nod as she revealed that she understood. That was all Naruto needed.

"Wait, NARUTO!" Utakata yelled, as Naruto bolted off the bridge and down to the ground below. The blond completely ignored him as he hit the ground, landing on all fours and hurtling through the trees faster than his legs could cope.

"_You sure you wanna do this?"_

"_Don't try and stop me!" _Naruto replied, even his thoughts coming out in a growl. He broke through the foliage and littered branches, red chakra growing from his skin and covering his body.

"_Don't worry, I'm here for you partner."_

Naruto gave silent thanks, but then allowed himself to focus fully on the deed ahead. The three invaders had already disappeared from sight, were they in some sort of hurry?

"_Don't you dare run away!"_ Naruto thought, as he pounded through the trees. He was moving at such a speed, the landscape began melding together into one continuous blur of brown and green. But those colours soon became obscured even more so as the chakra crawled over his face, covering his eyes and soon his entire body.

Just at the end of his spine, the chakra grew out into a single tail, but as the scene of Sasuke's attack on Gaara ran through his mind again, a second tail soon followed. This was so far the most he had ever gained; never before had he felt such dark, consuming rage. He wasn't afraid of it, nor was he really glad it was there. As far as he was concerned, it wanted to do the same as him, but not for his sake.

"_THERE!" _he thought, as something finally came into view. Sasuke, Neji and Suigetsu had all come to a stop, the latter two regarding him with interest. Naruto drew nearer to them with every fleeting moment, ready to beat them until they were no longer discernable from each other. And then he would finish the job.

Suigetsu was the first to move, stepping in front of Sasuke with a wicked grin on his face. However, he too was blocked by Neji, who turned to face his two comrades and bare his back to Naruto. He spoke a quiet word to them, which resulted in a nod from Sasuke and an annoyed grunt from Suigetsu. Those two then turned away and disappeared, leaving Neji to deal with Naruto.

"GET BACK HERE!" Naruto roared, as he lunged for Neji. The Hyuuga kept his back to Naruto even as the blond sailed through the air towards him. However, just as Naruto was about to reach him, Neji turned his head. Blinded by an intense light, Naruto didn't realise his predicament until it was already too late; his body was completely paralysed.

Neji sidestepped just as Naruto was about to fly straight into him. He reached out his palm and with a blast of chakra; he forced Naruto's back against a tree. Naruto was unable to resist as he was propped up against the tree by the single blow, even his face was caught in the half wince caused by the light.

"Now now Naruto-kun, no need to cause trouble." Neji said, as he raised his hand to Naruto's head. To his great surprise, Naruto watched as the cloak of chakra faded away, against his wishes the adrenaline was leaving him. Within moments he was as good as a rag doll, and by the look on the Hyuuga's face, Neji was well aware of it, "It looks like that dear monster of yours has a little more room to breathe."

"Bastard!" Naruto growled, his muscles straining as he tried to break whatever had been done to him. What was this, a paralysis Jutsu? He would have almost denied the possibility of someone being that fast with hand seals, but after what just happened to Gaara-

"_It's his eyes."_

Eko was right, though Neji had dimmed the light, from the shine in his left eye it was definitely the Genwaku Byakugan. Then this was a Doujutsu? If so, it was pretty intense. However, it confirmed at least one thing for him; if Neji was using it even while Naruto was frozen like this, it was because he _had _to.

"As much as I'd like to see your capabilities, I can't have you getting in my way." Neji said, as his hand reared back threateningly. Naruto was practically screaming at his body to move, his eyes were becoming bloodshot from pure effort. However, just as it looked like Neji was about to strike, he stopped. A slow smile spread across his lips as his eyes turned from left to right, before locking straight onto Naruto's, "What a loyal pack of mutts you have."

As he said that, Naruto began to hear the distant growls of the dogs all around him. It looked like Neji's field of vision was as strong as ever, if not stronger. _"Damn it, what am I thinking?!" _Naruto cursed himself, now wasn't the time to think about things like this, he'd save analysis for when he got out of here.

"Hmph." Neji chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment as he straightened up. Naruto was caught by surprise, what the hell was he doing?! "Sasuke-kun is naïve, it didn't take very much for your friend to convince him." he said, narrowing his eyes patronizingly. He placed his hand on his waist as he studied Naruto's frozen face, smirking at the look in the blonde's glaring eyes. He then took a step aside, looking out the way he would soon be heading with an almost distant look about him, "Did you know Orochimaru used to be a member of Akatsuki?"

Naruto faltered for a moment as his eyes locked on Neji's, confusion setting in as much as shock did. Neji caught this look and let out a small inward laugh, both mocking yet unsurprised.

"Well then, let me impart these words to you, before I take my leave." Neji said, as he slowly lifted his hand to Naruto's face. He gripped the paralysed boy's head, leaving just enough room to see his eyes, "Had the leader of Akatsuki had his way from the start, _you _would most certainly be dead."

As Naruto's pupils shrank in horror, Neji released a well placed burst of chakra and knocked him unconscious. Just as he did that, his Doujutsu came to an end and Naruto slumped. The Hyuuga watched Naruto as he fell to the ground, his left eye constantly shifting in and out of focus as it readjusted to normal conditions. His smirk disappeared as he lifted his hand to his face, covering the strained eye as he grimaced to himself. Then, just as the dogs began creeping closer, he disappeared in a sudden flicker, leaving them to whine by their unconscious master.


	29. To follow ones goal

Man, having to put these line breaks in is annoying, did the asteriuxes I used ever work? If so, why not now, and if not, why am I only hearing about it now?! It's gonna be tough to remember, but I'll do what I can. Anyways, here you go.

Disclaimer: ... Gaara with a mohawk.

* * *

**To follow ones goal**

Inside the base, in the room with two beds, Gaara lay still and unconscious. Fuu knelt beside him; ready to follow any order she was given. On the other side of the bed was a middle aged man with fading brown hair and rectangular glasses. The white coat and stethoscope around his neck made it clear what his profession was; he was a doctor.

Much had already been done for Gaara by this point. His sweater had been cut off and his waist was wrapped in bandages. The bleeding had already been stemmed, but just for safety sake he had been sedated to make sure the stitches didn't break should he move. The doctor was studying him closely, his brow creased in concentration.

"Using sand to stop the blood flow…" he muttered, rubbing his chin as he looked to the paper tissue holding the substance he spoke of. The crimson sand sat in a small mound, looking far from desirable as it was, "It's not something I would recommend, but it looks like in this situation it helped at least some. However I should like to take him to a more suitable facility, who knows what could be in his system because of it."

"Um… well…" Fuu mumbled uncertainly. She felt rather lost in this situation, she didn't know what to say or do. And so she kept quiet out of fear of making the situation worse than it already was.

The doctor straightened up, folding his arms and closing his eyes as he let out a long, deep sigh. "It's a shock that he's even alive, wounds like this would kill stronger men much faster." He said, before eying his face seriously, "Along with that, judging by the rings around his eyes and the faded colour to his skin, he is either abusing something, or is a heavy insomniac. In that case, his immune system should be just about nonexistent."

Fuu bowed her head nervously, she wasn't really sure she should say anything by this point. The doctor seemed to take no notice of her silence though, it was probable that he was just thinking aloud when he spoke, and not to her at all.

"He's a Shinobi, so he's not quite your average stab wound victim."

Fuu snapped her head around, surprised to see Yagura finally awake. Despite the situation, she beamed brightly at him. Yagura however took no notice as he rubbed his eyes, by the time he _was_ looking embarrassment had forced Fuu to halt the expression. He turned his eyes to the doctor, who had a look of dawning realisation on his face from that explanation.

"I see, that makes much more sense." He murmured, bowing his head to study Gaara again. He looked up however as he began hearing footsteps coming from outside, it sounded like more than one person was coming their way. Moments later, Utakata appeared in the doorway half carrying half dragging a barely conscious Naruto into the room. "What, another one?" the doctor asked, with a look of shock.

"No, this one's _just _fine." Utakata replied, smiling weakly as he pulled the blond boy into the room. Naruto was muttering something to himself, and everyone bar the doctor could feel the negative aura he was exuding quite strongly, "Just a headache and a sore ego."

"Like hell." Naruto muttered, taking his arm from Utakata's shoulder and standing on his own. But then he raised his head and looked to Gaara, the anger on his face being replaced with regret as for the second time that day he found his friend to be in an unconscious state. He looked over to the doctor, who had returned his attention to Gaara, "How's he doing?"

The doctor took a moment to reply, collecting his thoughts as he rubbed his unshaven chin. He then placed his hand on his knee and got to his feet, turning around to face Naruto with a serious look. "He is in quite a bad state I'm afraid." he said, deciding against sweetening his words, "There's a chance he can get infection from the sand, but I can give you something to help with that. Aside from that it's best he doesn't move until he is fully recovered."

"I'm sure he'll love that." Utakata said, wearing an ironic smile at the thought of it, "Anyone care to be the one to break it to him?"

"I'll do it." Naruto replied, taking a few steps toward Gaara's bed as he watched the red haired boy. The doctor studied the blond for a while, before crouching down and picking up the bulky leather case that sat beside him.

"Now, there's another matter that I need to discuss." the doctor said, looking directly at Utakata. As the eldest, it would seem that he was the one the doctor judged as being the authority figure. However, it was Yagura who drew attention with his well noticeable sigh.

"Yeah, we can't just let you leave empty handed." he said, removing the quilt from his body and getting out of the bed. Fuu rose to her feet as he did, watching as he opened the bedside drawer and took out what looked like a chequebook with a pen attached. He opened it up and scribbled something inside as he approached the doctor, before tearing out a piece of paper and handing it to him.

The doctor accepted the cheque and looked it over, his brow creasing in confusion. He held it out at arms length, before looking at Yagura uncertainly, "This is far too much."

"It's not to pay for the medical care." Yagura said, slipping the chequebook into his pocket while giving a look that was both pointed and a little dangerous, "It's to buy your silence."

The doctor's face hardened at Yagura, his expression becoming lacking. He gave a nod as he slipped the cheque into his pocket, before he turned and made for the door. "You need a ride?" Fuu asked, just before the doctor left. He came to a stop, looking blankly over his shoulder.

"No thank you, I think I'll walk." he politely replied, before taking his leave. Everyone but Naruto watched the doctor disappear, before their eyes moved towards Naruto.

The blond could sense the attention he was being given, and had enough intelligence to know why they were all looking. He let out a hollow sigh; they definitely weren't going to let him be without an explanation. He turned to the door and walked towards it, rubbing the back of his aching head as he walked out into the hallway, "Can we take this downstairs? I need an aspirin or something."

* * *

"So 'fess up!" Fuu said, propping her elbows up on the bar and resting her chin in her hands. She looked at to her right at Naruto with curious eyes, ignorant to the blonde's mood _and_ his migraine. Utakata looked past Naruto to give Fuu a calm but warning look; she shouldn't try to push things along.

"Who were those guys?" Yagura asked, looking straight ahead at the shelf of bottles from his place beside Utakata. He could just see Naruto in the reflection of the glass, his head bowed as he stared into the glass of water he held in his hands.

To each the three of them, Naruto seemed to be in a poor mood. They were taken by surprise then when he lifted the glass to his lips and downed it in no time at all, before letting out a content sigh. "So Gaara's gonna be alright." he muttered, looking at his own distorted reflection in a large bottle of whisky, wearing a smirk. "I guess I'll leave it to him then."

The other Jinchuriki looked at each other in confusion, wondering how his mood could have changed so quickly. In the end it was Utakata who raised the question they were each thinking, deciding to be as eloquent as the situation needed, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto let out an inward chuckle as he pushed his glass aside; he wore a look of nostalgia mixed with malevolent excitement that was rather unbecoming of him. "Gaara's gonna be pissed, that Uchiha guy is _his_ target." he said, shaking his head lightly. He acted almost as if he was on his own, his words more like spoken thoughts than directed speech. "A few years ago, Pein-san had Kisame-sensei take us out on a training journey. He tested us along the way, checking our skill levels and stuff, but nothing too major. He led us up through the north side of Hi no Kuni, when he decided to really test our abilities. He'd heard from Zetsu-san that there were a couple of Genin from Konoha that were defecting to Otogakure.

"After disappearing on us, me and Gaara were left to head off to some valley to meet up with him, but he wasn't there waiting for us. It was the two defectors, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji. I'd already fought with Neji a few months earlier, and he sorta had a grudge against me. Gaara on the other hand… well he just sorta went along with it. Next thing I know, the four of us are tearing up the place, me taking on Neji, and Gaara taking on Sasuke."

He took a pause, collecting himself as he let his mind slow down. Fuu, Utakata and even Yagura had become quite interested in his story. Fuu was even eager for him to continue. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Naruto's distant expression.

"Heh, we just about got killed, that's what happened." Naruto replied, resting his head onto his limp hand casually. Utakata and Fuu were both surprised by this, though the former was to a lesser extent.

Fuu couldn't help thinking about how Naruto had thought against that Hayashi Seiryuu from just a few days ago, and then how that Uchiha Sasuke had hurt Gaara before she even realised he had moved. She wasn't sure just whether she could imagine what Naruto was saying, or if it seemed unlikely.

"Anyway, it was that defeat that woke the two of us up." Naruto continued, turning around on his stool and resting his elbows on the bar. The others leant back to look at him, beginning to wonder if maybe he was in shock. Why else did he look so peaceful when his friend had not too long ago been in critical condition?! "That day Kisame-sensei gave us an order. Well not really an order, but with the way he said it, he knew we wouldn't refuse. He said "I'm not having a piece of shit who gets his ass kicked by some punk he'd already fought before as a student." then he told Gaara "What the hell's the point in living if there's some bastard out there who knows he can kill you?".

"So he made a deal with us. He'd train us to become strong enough that we wouldn't get taken down that easy again, and in return we'd kill the guys who defeated us. We thought it was a sweet deal, so we agreed. Nearly three years of training later and here we are getting our asses kicked again."

Yagura let out a small smirk as he read Naruto's feelings. It was the same with Utakata; he too could sense the anger and bitterness behind Naruto's otherwise cheery look. If anything, he seemed to be getting high off the feelings of wrath inside him, a dangerous way of coping indeed.

Naruto got to his feet, stretching his arms back as he grinned at the people still sitting behind him, "I'm gonna watch over Gaara, chances are when he wakes up, he's gonna be very _very_ pissed." he said, before heading off to the door with his hands behind his head. No one tried to stop him, they were each fairly content with the story they had been told.

"Wow, Naruto-oniisan is pretty scary, huh?" Fuu said, her eyes becoming tired as she cocked her head. Utakata and Yagura both froze, slowly turned their heads to her, their brows creased and their eyes wide as they stared with gaping mouths. Fuu looked at them and was quickly confused by their reactions. "What?"

"I uh… I didn't know you looked at Naruto that way." Utakata said, his brow twitching as some sweat dripped down his brow. Fuu blinked in surprise, looking between the two boys curiously. It took her a moment to catch on, her realisation made obvious by her flushed expression.

"W-wh-what did I say?!" she demanded, her eyes shimmering with desperate tears as she worriedly prayed against the words gathering in her head. For her sake, the two boys quickly averted their gazes. However, that seemed to have the opposite effect as Fuu got the sudden feeling she was being avoided, "Heyyyy!!!"

* * *

Naruto sat against the wall by Gaara's bed, slouching down with Eko resting beside him. He had taken to twirling a senbon he'd found between his fingers, gripping it between his thumb, fore and middle finger. He had spent a while practicing this, and was now able to do it absent mindedly. However there _was_ one person who took notice of the little habit he had adopted. "You seem relaxed." Gaara said, looking at Naruto with his half open eyes.

Naruto smiled to himself, catching the senbon in his hand and gripping it tight. He knew that Gaara had been awake for a while now, but had been waiting for him to give indication. "Better hope Kisame-sensei doesn't notice that hole in your stomach." He said, though not in a teasing tone. He and Gaara both knew what would happen should that person learn of what transpired today. They didn't need to say anything to know that it would be best to keep quiet about their little encounter. "If I knew you were that bad I'd have been watching that Uchiha guy too."

Gaara let out an inward scoff, though he couldn't stand even Naruto talking down to him, in this case he had no place to make that point clear. However, there was one point he was well aware of; Naruto was much to clean to have engaged in battle. "Looks like you didn't fare too well either." He said, turning his eyes to the ceiling, "How would he feel knowing that the person he gave one of those blades to got defeated without even being injured?"

Naruto laughed lightly, though that was mixed with a sudden nervous sweat. If Kisame found out he'd been taken out without so much as a broken arm, he would probably break both of them to compensate.

"So what now?" Naruto asked, turning to face Gaara. He sat in the exact same position, though with no support to hold his slouching frame. He leant back and slipped his hands behind his head, appearing to recline on the thin air. "Shinmaru could probably pick up the trail; we could still catch up with them."

Gaara thought about Naruto's suggestion, glancing at the boy for a moment. "No." he replied, turning his eyes once more to the expanse above him, "Uchiha Sasuke can move faster than the sand. I will need to find a way to counter his speed if I am to put up a fight."

Naruto raised his brow in surprise, before he began smiling again. He knew what Gaara was saying, the prospect made him quite excited. "You're gonna try that training again?" he asked, looking straight at Gaara's face. The red haired boy considered it, before giving a nod of reply. Naruto's smile grew into a wide grin at this provoking idea. "Mind if I take advantage of that?"

Gaara took a moment to reply, letting his breaths come in steady ebbs and flows. Eventually though he gave a small nod, making Naruto's excitement peak. He stopped himself however as he remembered Gaara's condition even if he agreed it would be a while yet before he was ready to do training of any kind, never mind the sort he and Naruto would wind up doing.

"Guess you better heal up fast." Naruto said, pushing himself up to his feet. He reached out and picked up Eko, slipping him in place on his back before giving Gaara a grin, "You don't get out of bed soon, we might have to start taking orders from Yagura. Don't wanna risk making this place into a mini Village of the Bloody Mist, right?"

"Hold on-" Gaara began, sensing that Naruto was about to leave.

"Yeah yeah." Naruto interrupted, predicting Gaara's request before it could be uttered. He headed over to the bed as Gaara removed the quilt from his body, and helped the red haired boy to his feet. The moment Gaara straightened up, he grabbed his stomach and winced. Naruto watched his reaction to the pain he received from the movement, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Probably one of the worst outcome of having a sensei like ours; we don't like to waste time recovering."

Gaara gave a small nod of agreement, his pain was considerable, yet more bearable than laying in a bed he most likely wouldn't be sleeping in. together the two of them made their way to the door, Naruto taking care to move slowly for Gaara's sake.

* * *

"You're not even making any sense." Yagura said, sitting back and crossing his arms. He looked towards his right at Gaara, who had taken position in an armchair acquired earlier from an upstairs room. The red haired boy sat very still as he tried not to stress his stitches, looking over the three Jinchuriki gathered on the sofa. "This is about this Uchiha and Hyuuga guys, isn't it?"

"Yes." Gaara replied in a simple manner. There was no need to stage any façade about the subject, he was aware that there would be little doubt in any case. But it was no issue either, no need to hide the fact. "Though Naruto and I always intended to deal with them at some point, there were other matters of greater importance. That hasn't changed. What _has_ changed is that they are moving faster than I expected. The ideal plan would be to track them down and take them out before they can become a problem… however…"

Naruto looked at Gaara from his place against the wall, frowning curiously at his friend. Even he had no idea what Gaara had been planning on telling them, and now that they knew, he couldn't figure out his reasoning either. But he listened nonetheless, knowing that Gaara wouldn't be doing this at all if it didn't matter.

"This is a purely personal matter; we have other goals as our priority." Gaara said, at long last. Naruto raised his brow in surprise; of all things he had never expected that to be Gaara's reason. This was a guy who would ruin all the plans in the mission for the sake of killing someone he was interested in, so taking a path like that was far from expected. "Which is why I'm bringing this up now. It'll take at least a week for me to recover, that's time we already can't afford to lose. We're in a difficult situation, which is why we need to act fast."

The room quickly drifted into silence, three of the four boys looking quite troubled as what Gaara was saying began to make sense to them. However, Fuu shared no such look with the others, instead opting to look at each of them with a raised brow, before settling her eyes on Gaara. "What's the rush?" she asked, with a blank look.

All four of the boys resisted letting out an exasperated sigh, thus leaving Fuu unaware of how obvious the answer to her question was. Gaara was the one who maintained himself best, and also was the one to give her an answer. "There isn't one of us here who doesn't have people looking for us." he explained, raising his hand to lazily gesture at the person to his right, "Even Naruto has Konohagakure keeping an eye out for him, even though he was never a Shinobi in the first place."

Fuu blinked in surprise, looking at Naruto with wide eyes. Yagura and Utakata both already knew of this, Fuu was the only one just hearing about it now. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, it's a pain in the ass but it's true." Naruto replied, letting out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. He straightened up and placed his hand on his waist and wearing a prideful grin, "Failed the academy exam three times, certified failure of failures, Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet ya."

Gaara cleared his throat, bringing attention back to the subject at hand. All eyes returned to him as he rested his head against the back of the chair for a moment, before dropping it back down to look at Yagura and Utakata, "In one week, Naruto and I will be leaving to seek out the Gobi Jinchuriki in Tsuchi no Kuni." he said, reiterating the statement that had caused Yagura's initial doubt. Though it still remained, he was willing to hear Gaara out since he was the only other person here who had any sense of professionalism. "We will use some of the money we have gathered to hire a member of Akatsuki to assist use. While we're gone, it will be up to you three to find and take missions to make up for what we will lose."

"I still say this is a bad idea." Yagura stated, allowing his pessimism to once more make itself known. Though Utakata and Fuu said nothing, the looks they tried to keep themselves showed that they agreed with the idea. Gaara and Naruto however silently and expressionlessly stated their own views; together their force was greater than the other three. In the end they conceded, with just Yagura being the one to look reluctant. "We don't need Iwa on our ass too."

"Yeah, cos Iwa's gonna come chasing our asses through Hi no Kuni." Naruto mockingly replied, rolling his eyes tiredly. He was well aware of what Iwa was like; Kisame had once taken them on a… _tour_ of one of Iwa's border patrol posts about mid way through their training. It was about then that Naruto had decided to abandon his red died jacket and trouser combo, and replaced them with his haori and slacks.

"I think in your case they'd make an exception." Yagura said, his words a little too cool and cutting for Naruto's liking. The words however left him a little confused, indicated by his narrow eyes and slack expression. In the end he decided against using words, and instead turned to Fuu.

"Hey, do me a favour." he said, speaking in a fairly quiet monotone. His peculiar attitude had drawn the attention of all those around, earning frowns as he raised his hand and pointed to Yagura. "Pinch his ear would ya?"

Yagura frowned in surprise, before turning his head to give Fuu a look of warning. Unfortunately for him however he was too slow; Fuu's fingers were already gripping his ear. "Like this?" she asked, squeezing lightly with her thumb and for finger.

"Hey, get o- HYEH!" Yagura groaned, as he suddenly broke into a fit of shivers. Fuu whipped her hand back in shock as Yagura seemed to recoil in on himself for a moment. But then it past, and he was left looking very confused indeed. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" he demanded, whipping his head from Naruto to Utakata, the most likely accomplice to what just happened.

His thoughts were confirmed as he saw Utakata do everything he could not to make eye contact, though all the averted gazes he could pull failed to hide the faint titter that peeped from his mouth. While he made further demands for an explanation, Fuu stared at her hand, a sly look creeping onto her face. _"This could be fun…" _she thought, gaining a thin smile that caught Yagura's notice.

"Uh… Fuu-san?" he said, with a worried look on his face.

"Let's go." Gaara said, looking up at Naruto with a tired expression. As always he was in no mood for participating in the idiocy that had managed to crawl in with Fuu and Utakata's habits. Naruto helped the invalid to his feet and directed him out the room, flashing Utakata a thumbs up in the process.

Utakata tried to respond with the same, but all he could do was grin as he gripped Fuu's wrists. The hyper girl was making an over zealous attempt to re-enact Naruto's request, receiving a thump on the head from Yagura in return. "Get off me." he muttered, his brow twitching in annoyance. Fuu gripped her head in both hands, tearing up more from shock than actual pain.

"Yagura-kuuun!" she complained, her voice causing Gaara to pinch the bridge of his nose and let out an angered grunt. Naruto looked at him with an uncertain smile, now definitely wasn't the good time for Gaara to develop a headache.

"Maybe we should hand her over to Kisame-sensei for a little while?" Naruto jokingly suggested, letting out a light laugh in a vain attempt to lighten the mood. He could as well be playing tug of war with Hotei; it would save him energy if he just conceded now.

"A week…" Gaara muttered, before letting his head hang.


	30. Acting on a whim

Ok, time for the next arc. I don't think this chapter was too shabby, when writing it there wasn't a single three line paragraph in sight. That means I'm growing in my ability, something I've been questioning lately. Anyway, I got a lot of thinking to do since much of the stuff in here was unplanned.

Disclaimer: Anyone else less than satisfied with the last manga chapter?

* * *

**Acting on a whim**

These thinner streets of Nami no Kuni were surprisingly quiet in comparison to the main roads of the island. The winding paths nearer the epicentre of the small mass of land were almost completely empty of any human life. By headcount, the most numerous species was bird, followed by cats and dogs. Gulls flew overhead and perched on rooftops while the gravity pound animals either rested on windowsills or ran over the cobbled paths to who knew where.

The sun was blocked by the buildings of the hilly streets, casting a cool shade upon the few people who did occupy the peaceful avenue. Yagura and Utakata waited as Fuu ran to them, hastily apologising for her lateness. Neither of the boys took mind to it, though they wondered how someone so proactive could be so ditsy at the same time.

The three rogue nin all turned in the same direction as they made their way through an arch leading downhill. They descended a long set of wide steps, curving down into a shadier part section of the district. Yagura took the lead with Utakata and Fuu walking close behind him, taking a look around the path he was guiding them through. It looked no different than the others, felt no different either. There was nothing to suggest why they had come here, they so far hadn't much of an idea what Yagura had planned.

"So where are we going?" Fuu asked, slipping her hands behind her back as she took a short run to walk alongside Yagura. She looked at him inquisitively; he was wearing the same serious expression he always bore. However judging by the fast pace he was walking, he wasn't quite as apathetic as his eyes would have you believe.

"Just asking around for missions isn't gonna get us anywhere." Yagura explained, taking a turn into a street to the right that the other two followed him through. Utakata caught up as well so they were alongside each other, giving Yagura a slight frown as he wondered where he was going with this. "What we need is someone who can find missions _for_ us, and also tell the right people that we're available for taking missions."

"An information broker you mean." Utakata said, looking blankly at his younger friend. Yagura returned the gaze and gave a small nod, before turning his eyes ahead of him. Utakata and Fuu both wore looks of interest; someone like that would certainly be useful. But at the same time, it was a risky gambit. After all, just like they could get information from a broker, that broker could give information on _them._

"That's right." Yagura replied, as something ahead caught his eyes. He gave a nod that made both Utakata and Fuu look ahead, far to the end of the street. They had to squint, but they could just barely make out a vague figure standing in the shadows of an alleyway about a hundred yards ahead.

As they drew closer, the figure steadily became clearer to them. It was a man, looking to be around fifty years of age, give or take some. He wore a flat cap over his fading slate grey hair and a bulky dark brown overcoat that covered him from his neck down to the knees of his black work trousers. He stood with his hands deep in his pockets, watching the approaching group over his greying moustache. He gave them a nod as they reached him, before turning around and heading for a door just a few feet behind him.

Yagura and the others followed the man in through the door, which surprisingly enough led directly into what looked like an office. This place was obviously a back room however, judging by the filing cabinets placed against another door inside the small room. The man removed his coat and flat cap, placing them on a coat rack next to his desk. Beneath that he wore a pinstriped shirt and an auburn waistcoat, suddenly transforming his appearance from a suspicious person to one who wasn't the least.

"Could you close the door?" he asked, glancing up as he squeezed between a chest of drawers and his desk, both of which were covered in scraps of paper with hand written notes scribbled across them. Utakata did as he was asked, and received a nod of thanks as the man slipped into the chair behind his desk. "My name's Teguse, and that's the only free piece of information you'll get from me." he said, with a shrewd grin. He gestured for his three customers to take seat in the wooden chairs stationed in front of his desk, to which they quietly accepted. "So then, you're looking for work."

Fuu's eyes widened in surprise and Utakata's brow rose; either Yagura had already met with this guy, or he was pretty good. They both looked to Yagura to find out which outcome was much more likely; his expression was both unsurprised, yet also relaxed. It seemed that he was glad that Teguse could at least figure that out. "We'll take just about any high paying job on offer, inside or outside Nami no Kuni." he said, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"You'll be hard pressed to find anything like that in Nami anyway." Teguse replied, rotating on the spot and opening the chest of drawers behind him. He rifled through it for several moments, muttering to himself while he searched for something. "Honest people take their work to Konoha, and crime is usually at a low here. Hell, the Konoha Shinobi watching over the place are pretty much just a formality."

Everyone turned their heads as there cam a sudden knock to the door, a light and rapid tapping that seemed to belong to an excited person. Teguse barked at the visitor to come in, turning back to his desk as the door opened. In stepped a young girl, looking to be just ten years old. She long and wild black hair, round, dark blue eyes and was dressed in a simple maroon t-shirt and brown cargo shorts. Though she had come straight in, she hesitated at the unfamiliar faces she saw.

"These are just clients Ageha-chan." Teguse said, sitting back in his chair. Ageha took a moment to lose her uncertainty, before hurrying past Fuu to head towards the old man. She handed him a folded scrap of paper that had been in her pocket, before waiting silently for a response. Teguse studied the piece of paper with a look of interest, before raising his eyes to Yagura and the other two, "Well well, as luck would have it…"

Deep inside the woods of Hi no Kuni, there was a fairly well doing rest stop that was popular among travellers. The owner had been quite the genius to pick the location he did, finding himself earning commerce from travellers heading anywhere, be it from Kaze no Kuni to Kaminari no Kuni, or Tsuchi no Kuni to Cha no Kuni. Over the many years, he had gone from a simple dango and tea café to a small resort, complete with a spa and inn for the more weary travellers.

The bar inside the inn was well furnished, round mahogany tables filled the broad floor as curtains and veils shaded the room. Small spotlights made up for what the sunlight lacked, giving the room a constant "end of the day feel". However, at this time of day there were very few people using this facility, with the exception of a couple of small groups of people sitting around the tables, and a single man sitting at the bar.

"Looks like the owner put a lot into this place." said the young man, resting his chin on his hand while the other held a glass of water. There was no doubt this man was unusual looking, and not just with his black painted nails or unusual ring either. He looked at the barman with a single blue eye, his other covered by the thick bangs of his blond hair. The bangs hung over a slashed Iwagakure forehead protector, and led up to a high ponytail wrapped with some black cloth.

What was more discerning about him however was not his hair or his forehead protector, but the long black robes he wore, emblazoned with red clouds. They were hardly suited for the weather in Hi no Kuni, surely he was hot under such heavy clothing? No one dared comment on it though, the things this person said sounded far too dangerous. "It's lacking though." he said, a secret smile playing across his face as he watched the barman. "There's not enough… _transience_… hmm."

"Ah, I'm ah- not quite sure I know what you mean." the barman replied, smiling nervously while he polished a glass. The young man before him had been here for most of the morning, yet had ordered nothing more than a couple of glasses of water and some bakudan ramen. He had also visited the bar last night, where he said other interesting things too. It wasn't long after that people decided to retire for the night.

"This place has been doing well for a while now, hasn't it?" the blond man asked, lifting his chin and letting his hand hang limply. He wore a provocative look on his face, his eyes narrowing and his smile twisting slightly in a thin smirk. "Chances are the owner intends to pass it down to his son in the future, am I right?"

"Well… that may be true…" the barman replied, looking up as he saw his customer's logic. The owner's son had been receiving lessons on how to run a business, and had already been placed in charge of finances. There was no denying he was being moulded for the job.

The person at the bar nodded wisely, he knew the way things worked with out of the way businesses. "But what good's that?" he asked, raising his tone a little as he found the barman to be pulled into what he was saying. "He'll never know what it's like to build something from scratch, so he'll never know how to deal with smaller scale issues. He'll do everything in excess and run this place to the ground."

"I- is that so?" the barman asked, growing a concerned look on his face. Worried about his place in the world, he was about to inquire further on what the young man thought when suddenly two strangers caught his eye. Though he had been uncertain about the man before him, these two were most definitely not suited for a place like this. "Ah, I'm sorry but this is no place for minors." he said, before returning his eyes to the blond man. However to his surprise, and unease for that matter, the blond had stepped up from his place on the stool and moved to join the two strangers.

"Maybe you should keep your options open, hmph." the man chuckled, before leaving the barman to his uneasy thoughts. He headed over to the two younger boys who stood in the doorway; they knew who he was, so he had an idea about them. "You guys would be Kisame's students, yeah?"

"And you would be Deidara?" Gaara asked, folding his arms as he looked impassively at the man only a few years their senior. Naruto was busy trying to comprehend the stranger's hair, lightly leaning from side to side as he sought an explanation to what was surely a trick of the eyes.

"Yeah, that's me." the man now known as Deidara replied. He wore a smile that no one returned; he could already see who took on what role between these two. There was no way that stupid looking one gawking above his head was taking the lead. "Guess we better get going then."

Gaara nodded before turning to the door. He reached out and thumped Naruto on the arm, bringing him back to reality with a wince. The three of them then departed from the bar, leaving the barman to mutter nervously to himself.

They stepped out into open air, walking into the u-shaped courtyard of the resort and taking their leave. Once they were out, Gaara and Naruto let Deidara take the lead by walking between them. It was his job to lead them on their journey after all. However, Gaara had other reasons for going through with the offer that had been left in the file Zetsu had given him, and was interested in finding some answers.

Deidara however seemed to have questions of his own that he wanted answers to. He slipped his hand inside his cloak, looking thoughtfully up to the sky. "So how do you plan to do this?" he asked, looking at Gaara and Naruto from the corner of his eyes. "Iwa Shinobi aren't like Taki. From what I understand, the other cases were a little more unique."

Naruto and Gaara looked at each other; they both knew very well what Deidara was getting at. It had taken a promise of genocide to convince Gaara to come along, and even then it hadn't been easy. Neither of them could believe how lucky they were that Utakata would follow Yagura, who already intended to leave Kiri anyway. And Fuu… well she was weird.

But they knew they wouldn't be so fortunate now. The only Jinchuriki remaining were well into adulthood, far less likely to go along with the plans of teenagers like themselves. They would also be more used to their situations; would they be able to leave after all this time? That was what Naruto and Gaara had been wondering since they left, they were as of yet unable to find answers.

"You said that there was no chance of us being able to do this one on our own." Gaara said, looking directly at Deidara as he spoke. The lone Akatsuki member smirked to himself, confirming Gaara's thoughts. "Unless Iwa has special defences, or even if they do, it sounds to me like you know the Gobi Jinchuriki personally."

Deidara's brow glanced up for a moment as he silently appraised Gaara's logic. "You're right in both cases, sneaking into Iwa is impossible without the help of someone who knows the layout." he said, lifting his hand out of his cloak and looking down into his palm. He noted Naruto glancing at his hand, and also noticed the creeped out look the shorter boy gained when a tongue slipped out from the slit in his palm. "But that doesn't really matter, since this guy doesn't live anywhere _near_ Iwa."

These words both caused Naruto and Gaara to frown, locking eyes with Deidara who kept his cool look. Both boys had studied the Gobi Jinchuriki's file, from what it said he was definitely still working for Iwagakure. So how could it be that he was nowhere near that place?

"Looks like you guys really _will_ be needing my help." Deidara said, as the slit on his hand opened and something soft and beige was spat out. He grabbed it back in his hand and clenched it tight, squeezing lightly as the two boys on either side watched him. "But first, let's get off the ground."

He opened up his hand, and showed something rather miraculous. Although all he seemed to have done was squeeze the lump, he had managed to create a tiny and very well designed clay eagle. Naruto and Gaara both watched as he casually tossed the little sculpture in front if them, before raising his hand into a single seal. The model then disappeared in a puff of smoke, one that blew into impressively large proportions. But as it turned out, that was not the only thing that would impress them with its size.

The bird itself had grown to hundreds of times what it originally was, easily filling the road in front of the three travellers. Deidara left the two of them to gape as he stepped towards his creation, jumping onto its back and turning to face them. "This'll get us there a lot faster." he said, wearing a superior grin as the two boys finally settled to the view before them. Even though they had an idea as to what Deidara was planning on them doing, neither was too keen to follow through. "We won't have to worry about border patrols or things like that either."

He turned away from them both, he knew they were aware of what he intended and so saw no need to tell them. He just waited for them as they conceded and climbed aboard, taking a firm stand as the bird moved of its own free will. It spread out its giant wings, almost touching the trees on either side. Then, with a heavy beat, it took off the ground and began ascending through the air.

Deep inside a dark, dismal hallway, fast footsteps resounded as someone walked through the cold gloom. There seemed to be two people there, hurriedly passing through the pitch blackness, though neither were at all visible in this place.

Then there came a faint light, shining through at the end of the long corridor. It was very weak, but just enough to grasp a faint view of the two people walking. From looking at their faces, it seemed that it was the Deva realm and Konan who were in a rush. Both had their eyes set firmly on the opening ahead, their expressions empty as the moved along.

"Go." Pein ordered, moving his hands through a short series of seals. The light from the opening slowly grew clearer as the rain outside came to a stop. Konan used this opportunity to run on ahead, the heels of her shoes clacking loudly as she formed seals of her own. Before she broke out into the light, she completed her technique.

While he watched his partner turn into hundreds of sheets of paper, Pein studied the village through the eyes of his other realms. The Asura and Preta realms were watching from the rooftops while the Human and Animal realms passed through the lower tiers. That left Deva and Konan to watch the sub tiers while Naraka stayed shortly behind, moving on street level so to quickly get to the other realms just in case.

Deva reached the edge of the walkway, following Konan with his as she flew past, taking the form of a hundred sheets of paper positioned like a flat bird. She soared down into the expanse below, before bursting back into the many sheets that flitted off in different directions through the sewer pipes. Once she was gone, Deva straightened up and looked to his right.

Along the steel walkway hanging above the massive intersections of sewers, something had caught his eye. He glanced down to Konan, but knew there was no way to call her back now, short of using animal realm to summon her. Deciding against exerting the effort, he made his way over the walkway cautiously, viewing the purple haze that only the Rinnegan could see.

"_A barrier Jutsu?"_ he thought, looking over the well hidden paper seals placed in the corner of an opening leading through to another tunnel. He could see it well, and easily comprehended it. However, what he couldn't do was figure out why _this_ kind of barrier Jutsu would be used. _"To place an alarm in case someone follows… means that whoever placed it does not intend to go far."_

He studied the barrier for a moment longer, from what he could see it was emitting a chakra frequency that would be disturbed upon contacting it, or disabling it. It was certainly a commendable effort; even he would be unable to pass through it without alerting whoever placed it to his presence. However, he knew of this passage, and knew that it was a one way path. And so he stepped through, noticing the chakra frequency come to a stop the moment he entered.

Silence. Even though he listened intently, he could hear no sound of movement nor detect any signs of chakra being used. He began to walk through the small stone passage, turning to the left at the only available corner. Behind the steel door that now faced him would be the control panel to the sewer system here. Through the thick metal door he could only just make out the sound of a generator whirring. That, and the unusual sound of stone scrapping against stone.

The door slammed open, seemingly of its own accord. Deva stepped in and immediately looked all around the tiny room for the slightest sign of a disturbance. He found something unusual the moment his eyes fell upon the floor. There was a bedroll placed in the corner, slightly strewn in an irregular way as if it had been nudged aside. Deva narrowed his eyes, for such a carefully placed alarm system, the escape plan was painstakingly simple.

He moved his hand to aim it at the rock, gripping the black rod that slid out of his sleeve. He pushed it in the thin gap between the slabs on the ground and with slight effort, lifted the stone out of place. As he thought, he was met with the dark expanse of what was clearly a tunnel. _"It would seem there is someone lurking down here after all."_

"Hey, can we take a break?" asked an exasperated Suigetsu, dragging his heels as he walked. His arms hung limp and he slouched, his expression making him look like a much older person than he really was. Before he could get a response, he slumped down onto a nearby boulder and took a drink from one of the flasks on his belt.

Up ahead, Sasuke and Neji came to a stop, turning around and watching what would be the sixth time Suigetsu was told off by their newest member. A girl known as Karin stood a few metres behind them, her hands on her hips as she faced Suigetsu. Though they couldn't see her face from her asymmetrical red hair, messy on one side and straight on the other, they both knew well that she was glaring hatefully at the white haired boy.

"It's because you're carrying _those_ things that we keep stopping!" she exclaimed, the sunlight glinting off her thick rimmed glasses and partially obscuring her red pupiless eyes. Suigetsu seemed to be ignoring her, which only served to get further on her nerves. "They're slowing us down, get rid of them!"

Suigetsu raised his head slowly to her, passing over her black thigh length stockings and shorts, and past the lavender shirt to the face that never failed to piss him off. He gestured back to the twin wave-bladed short swords on his back, one eye squinting as he lowered the flask from his lips. "You think I'm throwing these knives away after the hell I went through to get them?!"

"Those are definitely _not _knives!" Karin countered, adjusting her glasses as she pointed accusingly at Suigetsu. Behind her, Sasuke and Neji glanced at each other; it was looking to be about time to step in and stop this. Neji gave a smirk and a small wave of his hand, gesturing for Sasuke to do the honours.

"Quiet you two." Sasuke said, returning his gaze to his two quarrelling comrades. Karin and Suigetsu quickly silenced themselves, they had both already learned what it meant to get on Sasuke's bad side, and decided it for the best if they didn't directly conflict with the Uchiha.

Suigetsu let out a drawn out sigh, before placing his hands on his knees and pushing himself to his feet. He rubbed the back of his head and slipped the water bottle back onto his belt, not looking the least bit pleased in his doing so. "All right, I guess I can walk some more." he said, as he proved his point. He headed past Karin, who shot him a snide look that was once more ignored. "So how long 'til we get to the north hideout anyway?"

"We should arrive tomorrow." Sasuke replied, as they turned around and continued on their way. He gave a sideward glance to Neji, who didn't return the look, but kept his smirk. "Neji's team should be there keeping things in check, the only issue should be getting Juugo to join."

For the first time since joining the team, Suigetsu and Karin looked at each other no bitterly, but in surprise. This was the first either were hearing about Neji having a team of his own, as far as they had known he was following Sasuke like they were. "Anything else you feel like telling us?" Suigetsu asked, showing a dislike for unpleasant surprises like that. He raised his hand and pointed lazily at Neji, who cocked his brow curiously. "If this guy's got his own team, why the hell is he with us?"

Once more Sasuke glanced at Neji, but the Hyuuga made no effort to reply. He instead just allowed his smirk to grow, before he turned around and continued the path they were walking. Since Sasuke had no interest in the answer, he did the same and left the other two with their curiosity. Suigetsu and Karin both gritted their teeth, the former leering while the latter clenched her fists. _"Stuck up bastard." _they both unanimously thought.


	31. Pain bearing on the precipice

Well... I finished this chapter early last night... but I decided to rewrite the ending this morning... so I dunno where I stand on my work rate in technicality... Anyway, I found out that I'm still progressing, my minimum paragraph length had increased so they are a little fuller now. Hopefully not a wall of text, but not so short that it looks amateurish, y'know?

Disclaimer: I just had a thought. Just after graduating, Kakashi tricked Naruto into kicking his own ass. Now three or four years later, Motoi has him doing _the exact same thing._ Geez Naru, when will you learn that people are taking the piss out of you?

* * *

**Pain bearing on the precipice**

"After the last great war, the Tsuchikage ordered that a perimeter be put in place to discourage a sneak attack from Suna and Konoha." Deidara said, crouching down as the soared over the skies. Naruto and Gaara both sat behind him, listening intently as he scanned the ground with a strange ocular device he had placed on his left eye. "He had the Yonbi and the Gobi Jinchuriki placed in smaller villages at the south and southeast parts of Tsuchi no Kuni. It's there that they stand guard, but that isn't the only reason they were moved out."

"They didn't want a couple of ticking time bombs sitting in their village." Gaara said, his expression unchanging while Naruto's grew annoyed. They had been flying for a few minutes now, but had already progressed a good couple of miles. They both had to admit it; this means of transport was _very_ convenient.

Deidara looked back with a smirk on his face, giving a small nod as he confirmed their thoughts. He then looked back down to the ground, raising his hand to his device as he zoomed in for a better view. The terrain below was steadily changing from thick forests to grassy plains, the visibility below was becoming clearer. "We're passing over some border patrols… but it's just Kusa nin, so no worries." he said, before sitting back himself. He slipped the device off and placed it back inside his pouch, before looking back at Naruto with a relaxed grin. "You're probably wasting your time bringing that sword with you. If anything the best it'll do is make people uneasy."

"_Well yeah, what do you think a sword is used for?"_

Naruto glanced down at the blade resting between him and Gaara, it was a strange thing to ask, for him to part with Eko for such a basic reason. But then he caught a snigger from Deidara, and his attention was drawn to the unusual person once more. "Man, you really are Kisame's student." he muttered, looking over at the horizon peacefully. "You'd think losing a thing like that would be the end of the world."

Naruto watched Deidara strangely, so far he didn't know just what to make of this guy. Despite how at ease he appeared to be, he had the sense of someone who was just waiting for something to happen. An eagerness that led to relaxing thought perhaps? Naruto couldn't help wondering just what it was this person sought out that could cause such a mixed image to be made of him.

Gaara looked over the edge of the bird, watching something far below. He somehow managed to catch Deidara's eye, the elder Shinobi turning to him with a curious smirk. "So how come you don't have a giant blade?" he asked. He waited for a response, his smile sliding away as he began to think Gaara was ignoring him.

His thoughts were denied however when Gaara looked him in the eye, staring deep and hard. Deidara had to hand it to him, this guy certainly had in intense look for someone who remained stoic. "The sand is my blade and my shield." he said, in a finalistic tone. He then turned his eyes back to the view below, apparently that was all he was going to say.

Naruto let out a sigh as exasperated sweat dripped down Deidara's brow. The blond drew the other blonde's attention with a small wave, before giving an apologetic look. "Don't mind him, he's not big on conversation." he said.

Deidara glanced back at Gaara with a cocked brow, before shrugging to himself and turning back to the front. He scanned the ground again, and began looking in the same rough place as Gaara. Once more a smile played across his lips, his eyes narrowing a little. "Looks like we'll be stopping for a while." he said.

* * *

Yagura, Utakata and Fuu each left Teguse's "office" with his little worker Ageha up ahead of them. Though she had been wary at first, now that she had received her orders the little girl was in quite the chipper mood. Once they were out on the street she turned around and looked up at them, beaming childishly. "Follow me oniisans, oneesan!" she said, before turning to her right and running off down the alleyway. The two "oniisans" and the "oneesan" looked at each other, so far Fuu was the only one who took any liking to the nickname. But nonetheless they went after her, what choice did they have?

"You sure about this niisan?" Utakata asked, taking his double standard to Yagura with a glance. The shortest of the three of them gave a nod in reply, he didn't have much more to say than that. Neither of the other two was satisfied with this however, they were regretting letting him take the lead back there. "If this goes wrong then we'll have Konoha nin _right_ on top of use."

"I'm not stupid, this is a dangerous mission." Yagura replied, folding his arms as they turned a corner after Ageha. The little girl was keeping ahead of them, looking down every turning as she worked out the quickest route in her head. "But this is the sort of thing we need. Getting word out is the most important thing right now. As long as we can keep out identities concealed, we shouldn't have to worry too much."

Fuu nodded along with Yagura's words, she didn't understand, but he sounded confident. She wouldn't deny that she felt nervous though, the terms of this mission meant that they would almost certainly be getting into a conflict. Glancing over at Utakata, she got a feeling she wasn't alone with that uncertainty. "Do we really need to do this?" she asked, looking between the two older boys for answers.

Utakata sighed loudly, slipping his hands behind his head and looking down at the ground. "After Gaara and Naruto left for that mission, the money we had dropped by a considerable amount." he replied. Yagura looked at his close friend from the corner, privately glad that he understood. Utakata missed the look however, he was much too busy thinking about the duty that could very well be handed to them. "We have to do what we can for the sake of the mission, that's the entire reason we're here instead of staying in Kiri or Taki."

"Hey oniisans, oneesan, over here!" said Ageha, waving to catch their attention. She reached up and chapped hard on an iron door obscured by a pile of boxes on the end that led into the street. Yagura and the others approached the door, just as they heard locks grinding. The door slowly opened and someone peered through, a large gruff looking man wearing a flat cap and plaid shirt. "Hey, we found some people to help you out!"

The man behind the door frowned, opening it a crack wider to get a view of Yagura and the others. Where his initial surprise had been the short amount of time before sending the note to getting a response, he was now met with the shock of the young faces standing before him. "These kids are what he sends us?" he asked aloud, though to no particular person. Utakata let out a sigh, he was nineteen years old and still getting classified as a kid? The man gave them a second look over however, before grunting to himself. "All right, guess we don't got much of a choice. Get in."

He closed the door once more and rattled with some chains, before pulling it all the way open. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small clip of money and tossed it Ageha, who caught it in both her hands. She smiled up at the man before running off, waving as she headed back the way she'd come. "Bye oniisans, oneesan!" she said, as she disappeared around the corner.

"Something tells me she's got it easier than you'd think." Yagura muttered, his eyes turning tired as his stature faded a little. He and the others turned back around and headed towards the door, nodding to the man as he let them in. Once the street was empty, the door was locked many times over.

They stood in a dark room, lit only by the dim bulbs hanging loosely from the ceiling. For how clean and pleasant the rest of Nami no Kuni had seemed, this place was inversely decrepit and foreboding. It was just a backroom, like Teguse's office, but this one held little more than a chair and a small table in the corner. It was this chair that the man who'd let them in occupied, picking up his newspaper before nodding to the door. "Down there." he said, before dismissing them completely.

Yagura gave a word of thanks before he and the other two made for the door. Behind it was a rickety old staircase leading down into the darkness. Fuu let out a little mew of nervousness, the outside was one thing, but being in the pitch darkness of a basement made her a little nervous. Nonetheless they began their descent, heading towards whatever lay in store for them.

* * *

The giant clay eagle finally landed in amongst a nest of boulders by a small hill, closing its wings as it sat down on the ground. Naruto and Deidara each leapt off the model bird and landed on the rocks, the first of the three looking around in confusion. "Is this the place?" he asked, looking around him with a raised brow. This seemed a little off, were they even in Tsuchi no Kuni yet?

"No, no where close." Deidara replied, pulling his cloak aside as he reached in for a pair of pouches on both his hips. He slipped his hands inside and left them there, looking off in the direction they had come with a smirk. "With the way I see things going, I'm gonna need a little time to prepare. And besides, he would probably appreciate being allowed to make an entrance."

Naruto glanced at Gaara, who also had his eyes settled on the same place as Deidara. He however had his back turned to it, facing the head of the bird in a suggestive manner. "There's no point in getting in an unnecessary conflict." he said, fixing his eyes down onto Deidara. The Akatsuki member acknowledged his words, but kept his eyes ahead. "We should just keep going."

Deidara shook his head, lowering his stance and arcing his arms out a little to each side. He wore a look of anticipation on his face, his smirk growing into an excited grin. "Nah, he's got my scent, he'll just get in the way." he replied, as he pulled his arms back out of the pouches and began forming hand seals. It's better we take care of this now, so he doesn't cause trouble later."

Gaara watched the back of Deidara's head, taking a pause as he weighed his options. Then he realised that Naruto was giving him a strange look, and in the end he too jumped off the bird to stand close by Naruto. The two of them watched as Deidara looked at his hands, before he slowly raised his eyes to the top of the boulders ahead of him. "Should be any… minute… now…" he muttered, his smile gone as he simply waited. True to his thoughts, just a few seconds later a figure leapt over the rocks, striking the three of them not just with his appearance, be the killing intent he exuded.

"HOOOOAAAARRR!!!" he roared, his black half-mask hiding what looked like bared teeth. He lunged down at Deidara with a long, thin blade, smashing into the ground and stirring up a cloud of dust that completely obscured the two. Deidara leapt out of the cloud, landing just a couple of feet before Naruto and Gaara, wearing the same cocky look on his face.

As the dust began to drift aside, the person inside the cloud slowly became visible. He was what looked to be a middle aged man, his early thirties at best. His skin was tanned, and from what could be seen over his mask, he had sharp features. A long thin scar ran across his forehead and through his right brow, leaving a slight bald batch among his already thin eyebrows. His short and spiky black hair was specked with the dust, as were the tight muscle shirt and trousers he wore, both of which were also black. He wore the flak vest of an Iwa Shinobi, a light grey with nothing more than a small pouch at the bottom.

He slowly straightened up, raising the long nodachi sword, the matte guards on his arms and shins hiding the muscles that it took to wield such a dangerous blade. On the hips of his baggy trousers were a pair of wakizashi, placed just above a pair of weapons holsters. He was certainly well armed, and judging from the look in his eyes, he was well practiced too.

Deidara chuckled lightly as he bowed his head, locking eyes with the man in front of him. The two didn't dare to break eye contact as both of them straightened up, Deidara seemed to be the only one at all glad to see this person. "Hey Kirai." he said, smirking casually lifting his head so he was looking down at the other man. "It's been a while."

"It has." the man named Kirai growled, as he stuck his blade into the ground. He then took one hand to the other and began unwrapping bandages tied around his right hand, letting them fall to the ground carelessly. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Deidara, a definitely hateful look, "Too long… _partner._"

"Bitter as… always…" Deidara began, his smirk slowly fading as he stared at Kirai's right hand. His brow creased in confusion as a thought struck his mind, his eyes flitting between the hand and Kirai's face. "Is that…?" he asked, leaving his question hanging. It was answered in moments however, as the last of the bandages were unfurled and discarded to the ground. "Impossible!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. "When did you?!"

Kirai kept his glare solid as he slowly raised his hand, revealing the palm to Deidara and the others. A thin horizontal slit opened up, revealing two rows of very sharp looking fangs, and a pointed tongue that unfurled from the opening. The moment it was released saliva began dripping from the tongue, landing on he ground with a splash. "I _don't_ forget." he said, as the tongue lashed up and licked his palm. "And I _never_ forgive."

Deidara took a step back, his brow twitching nervously as he glared back at Kirai. His attention was diverted however, when something passed his line of vision. Gaara had stepped around, and made his presence known to Kirai. "You would do well to leave immediately." he said, his voice demanding no resistance. He fixed Kirai an unflinching stare, his eyes locked onto the demented man's.

Kirai leered at Gaara, clearly showing no inclination to do as he was told. Gaara however maintained his look, stopped only by Deidara who stepped back in front of him. "You two might wanna make some distance." he said, looking at Kirai seriously. But then a thought reached his mind, and he gained a thin smile as he realised something. "What you're going to see here is a real work of art… _hmph._"

Gaara hesitated for a moment, but from a gesture from Naruto he conceded. The two of them turned and headed back, jumping up the rocks to give the two room to breathe. They both watched the two presumably former Iwa nin as they faced each other, both of them ready to start their battle. Deidara held his hands at either side, while Kirai held his nodachi in a low horizontal grip.

"Heh." Deidara chuckled, his smirk widening as his confidence rose. "You're getting slow." He said, before whipping his head up high and throwing his hands together in the serpent seal. Kirai suddenly looked down as the ground beneath his feet erupted, and from it a pair of giant clay centipedes emerged. They rapidly ensnared Kirai's legs, wrapping around them up to his thighs. "You've already lost!" Deidara cried, before calling out at the top of his voice, "KATSU!"

Gaara and Naruto both tensed for the sight before them, as the centipedes started reacting violently. Then, to Deidara's stunned surprise, the centipedes crumbled apart. His eyes widened in shock as Kirai charged at him, bringing his sword back with a lethal look in his wide eyes.

"What?!" Deidara exclaimed, but reacted in time. He leapt up into the air and landed on the eagle, which had already begun to take off. Kirai quickly followed him, leaping past Naruto and Gaara with impressive speed. The two boys turned around as the nodachi wielding nin leapt into the air, chasing after Deidara.

"I don't get it, what happened?" Naruto asked, frowning as he looked at the angered expression on Deidara's face. He glanced back at the mounds of what had been the clay centipedes, from the looks of things whatever Deidara had been trying to do failed. His thoughts were disrupted however, as a booming explosion suddenly filled his ears.

"He was probably expecting something like _that_." Gaara said, as Naruto whipped his head back around. The two of them watched, Gaara stoic while Naruto shocked, as their view was filled with small explosions. Large clay insects, big enough to hit in the palm of your hand, fell from the sky and set of small explosions as Kirai neared them.

"Whoa." Naruto breathed, as Kirai expertly dodged the tiny bombs cascading down on him. The wave of small explosives then came to an end as Deidara came to realize such methods wouldn't work. He took off higher into the sky, reaching a distance that Kirai couldn't follow.

"_Looks like he's got a way to disable my explosives." _He thought, watching as Kirai placed his blade in the ground again and began running through seals. He crouched down low and had the eagle swoop through the sky, predicting his opponent's actions as best he could while preparing some moves of his own, _"Then I have to attack where he can't find them."_

Kirai finished his Jutsu and threw his right hand down to the ground. He clung to the earth for several moments, before tearing his hand back off and whipping around. He gripped his wrist and aimed his palm at Deidara, the mouth on his hand chewing furiously. "Katon: Firebomb Jutsu!" he cried, locking on to the aerial enemy. The slit on his hand slowly opened, before rapidly spitting out flaming chunks of earth it had pulled from the ground. The blazing clods shot through the air, coming repeatedly in a wave as the eagle twisted and turned.

Deidara gripped the eagle tight as it flitted through the air, plummeting slightly as one of the firebombs struck its left wing and exploded. He was forced to disembark from his position and land down on the ground, narrowly avoiding crashing with his bird. _"He can use Katon Jutsu with that thing…"_ he thought, as he opened his hands up. He threw the model centipedes in his hands as Kirai began running towards him. With a seal and a puff of smoke the centipedes grew to massive proportions and broke under the ground, heading straight towards Kirai. _"Just how integrated is his body with that Jutsu?!"_

* * *

Once more Yagura and the others stood before a desk, though this place was hardly what Teguse had. Cigar smoke filled the air as a middle aged man with long greasy hair took a puff of the brown roll between his fingers. He looked up at the three Shinobi with half closed eyes, lightly brushing ash from his purple pinstriped suit. Behind him stood two guards dressed in jeans and loose vests, standing with their arms folded as they watched their guests like hawks. The person at the desk leant forward, his stumpy face lit up by the lantern close by.

"I don't care if you guys are kids." he said, waving his cigar around lazily. Though Yagura and Utakata both maintained their composure, Fuu was getting a little dizzy from the smoke. "You guys can do the job I hire you to do, you'll get your money and we'll leave it at that, got it?" he asked, looking pointedly at each of them.

Yagura's arms slipped into a folded position, once more he assumed the role of spokesperson for the other two. "That's just fine with us." he said, earning the eyes of the boss, who placed him under plain faced scrutiny. "We'll need to know exactly what it is you want first though, Teguse-san was a little vague."

The boss scoffed inwardly as he sat back in his chair. He turned lightly in his seat, placing the cigar in his mouth and letting his hands drop to his side. "What I offer is a little entertainment you won't find in the mainstream." he said, letting out a thick and smoky exhale. Utakata glanced out of the corner of his eye, nonchalantly slipping his arm behind Yagura and supporting Fuu, who was on the verge of swooning from the lack of oxygen. "I gather the less fortunate people. Let them fight for their food and let the spectators do a little gambling, nothing too big."

"Underground fighting you mean." Utakata said, his blank stare silently accusing the boss before him. Yagura shot Utakata a quick look while Fuu just swayed from side to side, both of them said nothing. Their would be employer however seemed a little peeved at Utakata's allegation, but managed to keep himself enough as the situation dictated.

"Yes, underground fighting." he repeated, with a look of annoyance. He slowly got up to his feet, taking his cigar back in his hand as he stepped towards a window along the wall to the three Shinobis' right. He peered through the blinds to the next room, his eyes narrowing as he watched the cause of the small grinding noises and footsteps. "Konoha nin have been getting a little cosy in the area, they might be looking to shut this place down. What I want you to do is keep an eye out for them in case they show, and if they do, make sure they don't cause me any problems. We'll be moving on to new territory soon, this place is too clean. Tomorrow will be our last night, I don't wanna end it with knives to my throat, ya hear me?"

"Have no worries." Yagura said, indicating that it was time for them to leave. He and the other two turned around, Utakata keeping his arm around the dizzy Fuu's shoulders and guiding her along. Before they made for the door however, Yagura looked over his shoulder. "As long as you pay us, you'll have nothing to worry about." he said, before the three of them finally took their leave.

"I don't like this." Utakata said, once they were out in the street. Fuu stood beside him, her head raised to the sky as she took in mouthfuls of blissfully clean air, gulping it down and letting out the putrid taste. "These guys don't know honesty. If they're looking to bail, it's because business isn't doing so well for them."

Yagura cast his eyes to the steel door they had left behind, before gesturing for them to move on. It wouldn't do for them to talk about the mission right outside their employer's office. They headed out into the open street, stepping into sunlight for the first time since leaving Teguse's office. "As soon as we left our villages, we left our lives completely to chance." he said, wearing a serious but understanding look on his face. Fuu finally cleared her head and blinked at Yagura, she herself had never really though of it that way. "This is a dangerous risk, no doubt about it. But we didn't escape from the hidden villages to hide in fear of them."

Both Fuu and Utakata stared at Yagura as he spoke those surprisingly strong words. It was rare for him to slip out of his nihilistic attitude, the mask that time had placed upon his face. Even the person who referred to him as a brother, Utakata, was caught a little off guard. "Niisan..." he whispered, as a small smile appeared on his face.

Yagura came to a stop, looking first to Utakata, and then to Fuu. Both of them were smiling at him, even though his face remained straight. "We're Jinchuriki." he said, as he looked into both of their eyes with the hard, yet calm determination of someone who genuinely had no doubts about his own words. "We've each had a massive burden placed on us, one that the world judges us for. But that's ok. Even though we've got this weight on our shoulders, we've also got our lives, and our freedom. There isn't anyone in the world who can take that from us, you understand me?"

He looked between Fuu and Utakata again, seeing the faint shine in their eyes as his words got through to them. "Got it!" They said, both giving broad grins and nodded to him, their positive looks making it impossible for him to keep from developing a small smirk of his own. He turned ahead and began to continue on, oblivious to the look the other two shared. Before he could do so much as resist, the two of them had pulled him into a one arm hug, pretty much pinning his arms above his head. He swore aloud as he saw where this was going, and true enough they lifted him off the ground and started running.


	32. The art of death and destruction

This would have been out a few hours earlier, but I slept in and barely had time to change before going to college. Still, I had my English exam yesterday so that class is no longer running. Heh, my working week just shortened to 2 days. On another note, nat19th on deviantArt has finally finished her drawing of Neji, so for all those of you lacking the imagination to picture him yourself, or those who are just curious, check out what she's done. And comment damn you, she did a fantastic job!

Disclaimer: WOO! I was worried that because of Golden Week, the next manga chapter would be late too, but it's here!

* * *

**The art of death and destruction**

Deidara kept his distance as Kirai drew near, watching like a hawk as his centipedes bore down on his opponent. His old partner took his nodachi in his left hand and ran the tongue of his right hand across it, releasing a fair amount of bloodlust in the process. Deidara had to hand it him; this guy had done more than fall over the edge.

"_Now!"_ he thought, seeing the exact moment his pieces of artwork would burst from the ground. His thoughts were proven correct as the clay models erupted from the ground and threw themselves at Kirai. The man saw them in time to react however, and with one hand he slashed them both, cutting them in half. But they were close enough to do what Deidara intended, he raised his hand in a single seal and called out, "KATSU!"

Kirai darted for him, getting out of range just seconds before the centipedes exploded. This gave Deidara an even angrier look, his Jutsu shouldn't have taken _seconds_ to explode in the first place. He leapt back as Kirai drew upon him, throwing a small spherical insect bomb at his opponent as he drew back to get out of range. In that time Deidara managed to procure a bird smaller than his eagle, but just enough to support his weight. He flew away at a speed Kirai matched, but was unable to gain height as it was.

"_Is it that sword?"_ he thought, as his little bird beat its thin wings frantically. Kirai swiped at the bird with his blade, but he was just out of reach. Deciding to take this opportunity to learn a thing or two, Deidara spoke up. "So how's it been buddy?" he asked, with a casual smirk. Kirai glared at Deidara before coming to a sudden stop; he was just wasting his energy running needlessly. Deidara stopped too, but his bird continued to flap his wings, resulting in him hovering just a few feet above the ground.

Kirai gripped his blade to his side, his blade slow as he stood suspicious of any possible trickery brought on by his former comrade. "I've been screwed over time and time again, and it's all thanks to your betrayal!" he growled, his narrow eyes glaring at Deidara with a vengeance. "You ran off with the Kinjutsu and left me to take the heat, then _she_ turned on me soon after!"

"That would be little Rei-chan I take it?" Deidara asked, smiling as he folded his arms and looked down at Kirai. His reply came as a curt nod, one that made his smile widen. "Ah I see… I think I get it now." He said, letting out an inward chuckle. "So then _that_ would be the reason you took her, yeah?"

"Among other things." Kirai replied, before readying his blade again. Deidara tensed, but was taken off guard when instead of swinging, Kirai dropped his nodachi and began forming hand seals. The blond man rapidly took off, crouching down as his bird flew erratically to avoid the oncoming attack. Kirai ran after him, abandoning his nodachi for the moment as he continued his flurry of seals. He finally finished them, before once more raising his right hand, but this time throwing it _into_ the ground. "Katon: Magma Dragon Jutsu!" he cried, fixing his eyes on Deidara.

"_Shit!"_ Deidara thought, as he spotted the ground beneath him glow faintly orange. Moments later the earth erupted as a long plume of fire shot out of the ground. It quickly took on the form of a long snake like dragon, before chasing Deidara in and out of the ground. _"Damn it, can hardly get a shot at him like this."_

It wouldn't have been so much of a problem, if his opponent didn't already know what kind of fighter he was. Instead of going straight for him, Kirai was using his dragon to herd him in, forcing him to stay in proximity. The Jutsu was gradually weakening, but by the time it was over he would be in a tight spot.

"_Time to abandon ship I guess." _Deidara thought, looking over his shoulder at Kirai. He waited for the right moment, before leaping off the clay bird. As soon as the flaming dragon struck it, the bird exploded and forced the Jutsu to end. Deidara however paid this no heed as he flew over Kirai, tossing another insect bomb down. _"Now lets see if he does _that_ again."_

Kirai looked up as Deidara passed overhead, but his focus quickly moved to the bomb descending upon him. With a quick swipe his hands flew to the two wakizashi at his sides and whipped them out, slicing the insect bomb in two places. Deidara tested his theory again and made the single seal to ignite the clay bomb, making the call in his head as he landed on the ground. Just like he thought, nothing happened. But he was far from pleased by this.

"_Damn, there goes that idea." _He thought, as he turned to fully face Kirai. His opponent turned to him and raised his wakizashi, one hand gripping a blade with a fist, and the other gripping it in the reverse direction. Deidara knew these grips well, after all, using those wakizashi had been Kirai's specialty back in the day. _"The Hammer and the Murderer... heh."_

"Hey, Gaara." Naruto said, his brow creased in concentration. He and the red haired boy watched from afar as the two presumably former Iwa nin squared each other off, their arms folded and wearing serious looks. "That guy over there… he was there that time, when we were sent on the mission to find the dog scroll, wasn't he?"

Gaara looked over at Naruto, his expression unchanging as he glanced over his friend's face. He slowly turned his eyes back to the battle, holding in his discontented words. "I'm surprised you remember that." He said, as Deidara threw a bomb to the ground to make distance between him and his opponent. "Yes, that appears to be the same person from that time."

Naruto fixed his gaze upon the person he spoke off, recalling the last time they had encountered. His memories of back then weren't particularly strong, he had led a busy life since. But he could vaguely recall little details, for one thing there had been another person with him back then. Though it was only a fleeting thought, Naruto felt a little curious as to where she was. As memory served him, that guy over there had been more than a little protective of her.

"_So what now?" _he wondered, his brow furrowing as Deidara made his next move. Using both hands, he threw two birds, one at Kirai and one behind him into the trees. Kirai was forced to dodge as the bird instantly multiplied in size, rolling across the ground to avoid it. _"Looks like there're limits to the bombs he can negate."_

"DAMN IT!" Deidara yelled, as he landed on the other bird and took high to the sky. Judging by both his voice and his expression, he was seriously starting to get annoyed with the way this battle was going. It was hardly a mystery why, even Naruto could work out that Deidara was a long range fighter, taking him on up close was to his disadvantage. Yet somehow Kirai persistently closed the distance.

"Running away again eh?" Kirai thought aloud, as he readied his blades again. He then hurled them up the hill on his right, before using the Shunshin no Jutsu to disappear quickly. He came back into sight halfway up the hill, throwing kunai with explosive tags high above Deidara's head. Then, without stopping, he grabbed both his wakizashi and leapt into the air, just as the explosions forced Deidara to move again. "YOU WON'T GET THE CHANCE!"

Deidara looked up just as Kirai appeared beside him, taking footing on the birds and plunging both his blades deep into Deidara's stomach. The blond nin gasped in shock, bucking over as Kirai pushed the blades in deep inside of him. He raised his head to look up at Kirai, who was shooting him an evil glare. "You're little sculptures don't stand a chance against me." Said the dark haired nin. His eyes then widened as he raised his foot and drove it into Deidara's chest, kicking him clean off the bird and out of sight. "THIS IS VENGEANCE!"

"The hell it is!"

Kirai whipped his head up high in shock, stunned to see the bird he had earlier dodged flying straight at him. What was even worse was that on top of the bird, completely unwounded, was Deidara. Kirai snarled in rage as his enemy glared back at him, but failed to see until it was too late what Deidara intended. He flipped off his own bird and sent it flying into the one Kirai occupied. "THIS IS ART! KATSU!"

The two birds collided, and in that moment exploded in a brilliant blaze of light. Kirai's silhouette disappeared in the flames that the two bombs created, the noise too loud for even a cry to escape. Deidara landed on the hillside, watching above as the person who had once been his partner was incinerated. He showed no remorse however, instead he wore a broad grin on his face as he called out at the top of his voice. "MY ART IS GREATER THAN YOURS!"

* * *

Two lone figures dressed in sweeping black cloaks stepped over the rocks of the mountain path. The red clouds on their clothing moved almost as freely as their real counterparts which drifted across the sky above them. The air was stale and warm, there were few who ever journeyed to this place without good reason and good training. Fortunately for this pair, they had both.

Hoshigake Kisame walked beside his partner, Uchiha Itachi, as they made their way across the northwest part of Tsuchi no Kuni. They had both recently finished a mission for Iwagakure of all places, to their surprise the Tsuchikage had been keen to use their assistance in bringing down a group of insurgents.

It seemed that as of so far, the five nations were yet to realise Akatsuki's intentions. Although it could simply be that Iwa was one of the countries most detached from the rest of the world. On the other hand, with Yoinokuchi now working separately from Akatsuki it gave the older organisation room to meet its other ends while possibly more suitable candidates took care of their real goal.

That was the reasoning Pein had given them anyway, Kisame wasn't quite so sure. "Maybe three years in the wilderness isn't best for building charisma." He said, letting out a thin sigh as they began their descent down a shallow recline. They would now be headed towards another mission, one given to them by the Daimyo surprisingly enough. "Geez, if Naruto starts talking everything's gonna go to hell."

"Kisame, you're talking to yourself again." Itachi said, looking to his partner from the corner of his eyes. Ever since coming back officially from the training trip, Kisame had adopted a rather pensive attitude whenever it came to mention of his students. It was made worse then when he would bring the topic up on his own. Of course, far be it for him to get annoyed at solemnity, but when _he_ could be described as the more upbeat of the two, certain lines had to be drawn. "So far they have succeeded in acquiring the Sanbi, Rokubi and Nanabi Jinchuriki. If it really was luck that got them this far, then numbers will get them the rest of the way."

Kisame glanced at his partner with a cocked brow, a curious grin appearing on his face. He wasn't sure which was stranger, the almost positive view that the nihilistic guy beside him had given, or if it was the fact he seemed to be trying to _console_ Kisame. Whatever it was, he knew very well that when _he_ was seen as the pessimistic one, something _had_ to be done.

"I guess it's no matter." He said, his grin widening as he turned his attention to the path ahead again. He could feel the Samehada snoozing leisurely on his back, and was reminded of the first time Naruto had wielded the Ekokaeten. He compared that to the last time he and his little disciple sparred, how the runt had come out bruised and bloody, but still very conscious. "They're not going to die, so there's no need to worry."

"Hn." Itachi muttered, giving a small incline to his head as he quietly agreed. He himself recalled teaching those two to overcome Genjutsu, he knew neither was the sort to back off until they lost consciousness. However, whether or not that was a bad thing was yet to be seen.

Kisame made a small inward chuckle as he thought something to himself. Looking over his shoulder, he wondered if his two students had managed to make it inside the country yet. Considering who they were travelling with, they were most likely wasting no time in finding the Jinchuriki. _"But even if they do find him, he won't be like the other ones." _He thought, turning his eyes ahead as the hill levelled out. _"And Naruto's stupid… he doesn't even know about _that_ yet."_

* * *

Gaara and Naruto both watched intently as Deidara yelled his proclamation, claiming that there was none who could stand against his art. The man who had seemed so collected looked like he had lost his mind, yelling at the smouldering a few dozen feet away from him.

However, even though he personally was so focused on the cloud, not even Gaara or Naruto had expected what happened next. Just a metre to Naruto's right, something flew by with incredible speed. It took them a moment to realise what it was, an arrow?

"_Behind us?"_ Naruto thought, as he whipped his head back. He looked amongst the trees rapidly, but he couldn't see anyone there. Who the hell had gotten the drop on them like that? However, knowing that there was no way someone that sneaky could have missed such an easy shot, Naruto was inclined to think that they weren't the target. He whipped his head back around, but kept himself aware of his back now too. He realised something peculiar, the arrow was flaming, and seemed to have no intention of descending.

Deidara saw it, and leapt out of the way, a good decision as the ground the arrow struck shattered. His eyes scanned the place it had come from, judging from Naruto's reaction it had been somewhere behind where he and Gaara stood.

"_Who's there, don't tell me he has backup?"_ he thought, as he squinted in that direction. But then a thought struck his mind and his eyes widened, for the first time he considered something he should have realised from the start. Whipping his head to the right, he realised his mistake. _"Shit! I got so wrapped up I didn't even look for a body!"_

It was true, even though the cloud had disappeared there was still no signs of Kirai anywhere. That could only mean that he'd gotten away, a fact that made Deidara curse his own foolishness. Fortunately he hadn't fully expected his attack to succeed, and had already begun moulding clay and chakra together.

"This is taking too long." Gaara said, with an incensed look on his face. Naruto had to give a smile to that, he could tell Gaara would rather not be in this situation. It didn't look like it had anything to do with them, they could just as easily leave if it weren't for the fact that they needed Deidara's help.

"Something's happening." Naruto said, the smile disappearing as his attention was grabbed. Deidara had leapt into the air, and thrown both his hands down. Whatever he dropped fell to the ground, and like everything else he created, grew to greater proportions after disappearing in smoke.

Five birds appeared on the ground, smaller eagles that stood proud like any of its living counterparts. They all took off at once, one flying underneath Deidara and allowing him to sit on its back as it soared higher. The rest circled around him as he took to the skies, tracking his chakra signature or however else they managed to follow him.

Something was wrong; things were way too quiet. Deidara knew well that Kirai wouldn't just sit back and let him prepare like this, there was no advantage to be gained from that. The only possibility was that he too was getting ready for something, and considering that wasn't Kirai's style, that thought was all the more troubling.

Something finally happened, a movement that made Deidara spring into action. Kirai had burst from the trees, running with a long yumi bow in his hands and a quiver strapped to his back. One thing was certain; he had definitely not been using those before. He held it at the ready, aiming an arrow straight for Deidara.

"Range vs range huh?" Deidara though aloud, smirking as he raised his hand and had the tongue inside wave in the air. His expression grew even more confident with his narrowing eyes, he raised his hand into a seal. "Like that's going to-"

His face froze in shock as one of his birds suddenly fell from the sky. One of Kirai's arrows has shot into it, and it lost its ability to stay airborne. As it came crashing down to the ground, Kirai jumped in the air and used it as a temporary foothold to make his next jump. In barely a moment he was level with Deidara, aiming an arrow straight at him that was dripping with some strange liquid.

"_Wait a minute."_ Deidara thought, as once more he saw that sharp tongue on Kirai's hand. Finally things were making sense, even if pieces of the puzzle were still coming together. There were still a few factors missing, but Deidara was able to make one clear assumption. _"So it _is_ the saliva after all!"_

Kirai fired the arrow, which became charged with the chakra placed in it by the saliva, Deidara could see this now. With its release, it became charged at an incredible rate, moving faster than it ever should. There was no doubt that if that were to hit, it would be like stabbing butter with a red hot pike.

_THRUMMM!_

Deidara and Kirai's eyes both widened in shock as their views of each other were cut off. Neither Kirai nor the arrow could make out anything past what now stood between them. It was a wall of sand, burst from below. Kirai's lips curled back into a snarl as he caught sight of the perpetrator down below, Gaara looked up at him with cold eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Deidara demanded, looking down over the edge of his bird. Gaara slowly turned his gaze to look up at him, while Kirai landed down on the ground. Don't get in the way of other people's fights!"

"We're not paying you to goof off." Gaara replied, giving Deidara a flat look. The sand slowly lowered back down to the gourd as he spoke, reforming the large item and clearing the view the two had. "We've got a mission to get to."

The blond man blinked down at Gaara in surprise, taken aback by the words he said. After a moment's thought, a smirk appeared on his face as he let out a light laugh, nodding his head understandingly. "Right, sorry about that." He said, as he straightened up. Kirai made to go for him again, but was stopped as a giant blade was pressed against his neck. Behind him stood Naruto, wearing a sly smirk as he got some quiet revenge by reversing a situation he and this person had gone through long before. "Guess we'll finish this quick."

"So you're all going to interfere huh?" Kirai asked, leering at both Deidara and Gaara. The Akatsuki man dropped down from his bird and landed on the ground, the four clay models nesting down behind him. It was this person that Kirai gave his most hateful look to. "Mark my words, I _will_ get you."

Then, before anyone could do anything, Kirai suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto was taken in shock by this, there was absolutely no way that was a Shunshin, he would have noticed at this range. But at the same time, he was nowhere near here.

"Looks like he really _does_ have someone summoning him." Deidara said, sighing as he placed his hand on his side. Naruto and Gaara were both taken by surprise from this, neither were particularly familiar with the Kuchiyose no Jutsu that had only ever been mentioned to them by their sensei.

"Wait a minute, you can summon _people?_" Naruto bewilderedly asked. He placed Eko back onto his back, looking over to the place where that arrow had come from earlier. So then Kirai really _did_ have an accomplice then. _"But.. it couldn't have been that girl, could it?"_

"It takes a lot of skill, but it's not impossible." Deidara explained, as he turned towards the birds behind him. Gaara did the same; it was clear what was to be their new mode of transport. "You'd either have to be a very powerful Shinobi to do it, or else spend years training. Either way, it's not something you just pick up."

Naruto turned on the spot, watching the trees off to the distance distrustfully. Despite what Kirai's words had suggested, Naruto wasn't ready to relax just yet. He knew for sure that Gaara too would be on alert, he couldn't really say about Deidara however. But when the other two climbed upon the clay birds, he decided all they could do was leave. He turned back and began to make his way to the other two, before realising a bird had already been selected and placed before him.

"Uhh…" he muttered, giving the bird a wary look. Up ahead, Deidara and Gaara were both watching and waiting for him, neither sure just what the cause of his apparent discomfort was. "This thing isn't gonna… y'know… explode or anything?"

"Don't tempt me." Deidara replied, his brow twitching in annoyance as he took that comment personally. Not one to pick up on subtleties like that, all Naruto could do was take his word for it and nervously climb aboard. Knowing the true purpose of these clay creations certainly didn't make it any easier to ride on them.

Then they suddenly took off, not as smoothly as they had been when atop the larger eagle, but airborne nonetheless. Naruto gripped the neck of the bird he sat on tight, not particularly appreciating the lack of grip offered from the literally bald eagle. Behind him he heard the sound of each of the remaining birds exploding, including the larger one they had been riding up until this point. He also heard an annoyed grunt, one that belonged to the person they had hired.

"Damn it, I'm running low on clay." Deidara muttered, searching through the pouches inside his cloak. He seemed quite annoyed about that, letting out an exasperated groan as he gave up his futile search. "Damn it Kirai, what're you doing showing up like this hm?"

"What was all that anyway?" Naruto asked, looking over at the person talking to himself with squinting eyes. He still had absolutely no idea what to make of this situation, a person he had met only briefly showed up out of nowhere and attacked someone they were travelling with. So far, not much of that train of thought made sense to him.

"Sorry, that's a private story." Deidara replied, keeping his eyes ahead as he answered. Both his answer and the troubled look on his face asked that no further questions be asked for now, something Naruto was just barely able to realise. "Knowing him, we'll be having another encounter like this soon, so be prepared."

"_He doesn't have to tell us that."_

Naruto gave a small smirk of agreement, even now he was wondering why he had stayed back from that fight in the first place. Once the awe of the explosions had left him, that battle had next to no progress. Both combatants had left without injury, something that Naruto and Gaara had both been trained to be ashamed of. Yet all Deidara could do was smirk faintly, thinking whatever strange thoughts were running through his head.

"_His art… I wonder if he even remembers?" _Deidara wondered, as his eyes hazed out of focus.


	33. Trials of the mind

Last couple of chapters were kinda hit and miss, I know, but I'm pretty confident in this one. Well, got five hours sleep, let's see if that's enough to operate on today, should be, but should also be a royal pain. Anyways, right now I'm too tired to think that much, so here you go, read it, review it, or completely forget it, whatever. I'm gonna... zzz...

Disclaimer: Yeah, I realised that since Kishi released his chapter later cos of Golden Week, it meant that he needed to focus more on drawing than storyline to get back on schedule. Hence the irrelevent manga chapter.

* * *

**Trials of the mind**

Despite the progress they had made, the next day came with little of that. Deidara had stopped at the first inn they could find, before disappearing into the trees. He had told Naruto and Gaara that he needed to refill his stores of clay, a point that neither of the two boys had reason to doubt. And so now they waited for the alleged artist's return, doing whatever they could in the mean time.

Naruto and Gaara both sat in the outdoor bath, a boulder resting between them as was the norm. Sly words from Kisame had convinced them both to keep distance at times like these, though since Gaara usually did this alone it was mostly no problem. Of course, they were self conscious enough that what their sensei had told them still rang in their ears even now.

"_Arrrhh… damn it sensei!" _Naruto thought, cursing the ex-Kiri-nin in his mind. It was one thing to make jokes about their size or their personal habits, but going _there_ was just wrong. He gripped his head and quietly groaned, why did he remember that at times like these? He looked over his shoulder to the place he thought Gaara was, suddenly hit with the urge to find some way of taking his mind off what it was currently stuck on.

"Naruto." Gaara spoke up, beating the blond to the punch. The red haired boy bowed his head and closed his eyes, listening to the water running down from the rocks in front of him, and feeling the steam curl over his pale skin. He looked almost like he was caught in a deep sleep, but of course that thought was preposterous. "In case that person shows up again, don't hesitate to attack.

Naruto's brow rose in surprise as he heard Gaara speak, it was almost like his mind had been read. Though he truly, sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. It didn't take him long to realise what he was trying to say, even if he was being unhelpfully vague about it. "Yeah… got it." he replied, giving a small and unnecessary nod. The memory of yesterday's fight was still fresh, thought was most likely because nothing of interest happened since. Most notably was Deidara's strange Jutsu, and how Kirai managed to disappear the way he did. "Doesn't look like Deidara-san really cares, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Mm." Gaara grunted, giving his only technically verbal agreement. He too had sensed that Deidara was only humouring Kirai back then, he hadn't gotten serious until closer to the end. But even in that case it didn't seem like Deidara had too much desire to fight that person, so whatever it was Kirai had felt didn't seem to be mutual.

Silence fell once more, with only the cascading water bringing any sound to the bath. That quiet lasted for several moments, before it was joined with the sound of rushing water as Gaara got to his feet. As was another unspoken rule when it came to public baths, they both got out one at a time. Naruto let himself lower enough so that his head was just above the water, keeping his eyes fixed on the wooden wall separating the men's side from the women's. Just faintly he could hear sounds of movement coming from over there, it was clear that that part was in use too.

However, despite the discomfort Naruto often felt in the situation that he had been in up until Gaara's departure, when he was on his own like this the baths seemed like a pretty good place to be. There was no one to bother him here, and so he was pretty much left to his thoughts, however substantial or otherwise they may be.

"_Hmm… does Tsuchi no Kuni has any good ramen bars?"_ he wondered, as he shifted and allowed himself to float atop the water's surface. A hungry grin appeared on his face as he had a slight daydream about the different kinds of ingredients the restaurants of Iwagakure may use. Of course, he had other reasons to go there too.

He had heard about the Great Shinobi World Wars, about how Iwa, Suna and Konoha had pretty much torn up the land in their battles, leaving Ame and Kusagakure in quite the state. Since then it had become a little idea of his, what would Iwa do if it learned that both Suna and Konoha had lost their Jinchuriki? From what he knew of that village, it would most likely start being much more aggressive. Hell, the only reason Naruto wasn't dropping by to let them know that was because in that case it would probably put the Jinchuriki at risk.

"_Looks like it doesn't matter, since we're apparently not even going there." _he thought, as he sluggishly drifted across the water's surface. Though since Iwa had done the thing he should have expected and pushed their Jinchuriki away, it couldn't be helped. Rather than that, it was very nice of them to make it so easy for Naruto and Gaara to meet with this person. _"But we're only coming for this guy right now… what will Iwa do with the other once they know what's happened?"_

He let those thoughts brew in his mind for a good few moments, wondering if maybe it would have been a better idea to try and get both at the same time. But he knew that would have been even riskier considering they knew nothing of the Iwa mindset. It seemed the better idea that they take things slowly for now, and for the most part hope for the best.

Slowly his thoughts turned idle, leaving him staring at the blue sky with a complacent expression. He could as well have been asleep in this state, and was beginning to feel inclined to do so. However, something from the corner of his eye was keeping him awake, large figures amassing on the rocks to his left.

"No." he said, in a strong and firm tone. The figures faltered for a moment, the thick steam leaving them almost impossible to make out. But Naruto knew those shapes well enough to dread them, their intentions were painstakingly simple. "Stay back- no, don't- DAMN IT!"

He suddenly went to extreme effort to right himself as six large, dog shaped forms dropped from above. He could see the outstretched forms and the lolling tongues of the beasts he knew so well enlargement at a dangerous rate. It was all he could do to get out of the way in time.

_FWOOOSH!_

* * *

Several countries away, back in Nami no Kuni, the time was considerably later. Yagura and the others had returned to the building where they had been hired for their mission, and now stood at the ready for the task that had been given unto them.

There were three noticeable things about the room they stood in. First and foremost was the ear-splitting racket brought on by the cheers and jeers of the dozens of men filling the room. Second was the stench of sweat and alcohol that came with these men, filling the air in a nauseating smog made visible from the equally smelly cigarette smoke.

The room itself was quite large; it seemed to be an adaptation of the basements from each of the surrounding buildings above. Despite this, the place was so cramped that there wasn't a single person in there who wasn't forced into some sort of physical contact with another, much to the misfortune of a certain girl. However, the attention was not on this factor, but the spectacle that was going on in the middle of the room.

Iron bars separated the spectators from the challengers down on the lower level, where there was a tall, square arena. Two young men dressed in little more than cargo shorts and gauze were caught in what was essentially bare knuckle boxing. Both of them were bruised and one even had a split lip, this fight had been going on for a while.

And still the cries came, gamblers and frequenters to this haunt calling support to their favourite player as the fighters dug into each other in their no holds barred combat. Though they looked about ready to collapse, sheer will kept them going. Yagura had to hand it to them; had their situations been different, they could have been fine Shinobi.

He watched from in amongst the crowds, his expression flat as he gained no enjoyment from the battle below. The bars and men that almost completely hid him from view served to his disadvantage. Being short as he was he could hardly see anything worthwhile. As it was he was forced to maintain close proximity to the bars just so he could get fairly adequate view of the other side of the cage.

Though the lighting was fairly dim, he could just make out Utakata from the back of the crowds. Pretending to scratch his head, Yagura pressed his fingers to the small transceiver in his ear, speaking as clearly and discreetly as he could. "I see three people on your side who don't look too interested in the fight." he said, slowly scanning the crowd across from him.

There was one man who looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in baggy clothes and wearing a woollen hat that covered his ears. Another was a man who was roughly the same age, sporting a hooded jacket that he was utilising to its full potential. The third was probably the oldest of the three, his hair thick and wavy. Each of them had two things in common. One was that instead of the fight, they were looking across the ceiling, doors and the other people around them. Second, and most definitively, was that each of them was wearing concealed earpieces just like Yagura.

"I got it." Utakata replied, using his shoulder to press the transceiver as he pretended to rid himself of an itch. Though it was tougher from his perspective, he managed to locate each of the men that Yagura described to him. "There's two guys on your side, a bald guy with earmuffs to your left and a guy on your right that looks like he's been molested by a rainbow."

Unlike Utakata, Yagura had no such luck in finding those people without risking being obvious. The descriptions were fairly useful though, most of the people here looked the same anyway. That made the ones who didn't stand out even more so. "Fuu, how're things on your end?" he asked, turning his eyes to the last open space; the area to the left. He couldn't see Fuu at all in the crowds, and he had a good idea why.

"Eww… it stinks over here!" Fuu complained, putting her hand over her nose as she backed up against the stone wall behind her. Bare armpits filled her sight as she saw sweat drip down the bodies of the men all around her. It was clear that out of the three of them she was enjoying herself the least. "I don't see anyone in particular, but some of these guys don't look as dirty as the rest."

Yagura lowered his hand from the transceiver; it seemed most likely that those were also Shinobi in disguise. In a small country like Nami, manual labour took majority to skilled labour. That meant that at the end of a long day, it was improbable that one would prioritise personal hygiene over unwinding. And besides, there weren't that many skilled labourers who would risk being in such a place.

There was one thing that troubled Yagura however. It was something he just couldn't put his finger on, despite his efforts. Their employer had hired them from the fear that Konoha Shinobi were planning on shutting down his operation. True enough, it looked like there were such Shinobi present at this time. So whether their employer had good intelligence or just had luck with paranoia, it seemed that there would be action taken on this mission after all.

"_But if there's this many Shinobi, we won't be able… to…"_ Yagura thought, his words trailing off as his eyes slowly widened. Down below the fight had come to an end, cheers coming from one side of the room while groans and boos came from the other. As the two fighters left, only one of whom walked, two came in and replaced them. It was these two that sparked Yagura's thoughts, they both fit the steadily growing paradigm forming in the situation. Carefully, and so not to cause alarm, he raised his eyes and looked around once more. _"So many Shinobi… this isn't a sting…"_

"It's a crackdown." Utakata said, fixing his eyes on Yagura with his fingers pressed against the transceiver. Yagura and Fuu both slowly raised their gazes to stare at Utakata, their expressions stunned as their lips parted. Yagura and Utakata in particular met each other's gazes. They both knew it; this situation was about to go to hell.

* * *

"Gah, what a pain." Naruto muttered, rubbing his sodden hair with a towel as he left the baths and headed inside. The dogs were still swimming around quite contentedly, though had been warned that if anyone were to show up they were to disappear immediately.

Naruto had slipped into his slacks, but carried his haori and bandages hooked over his free arm so not to get them too wet. The hallway of the inn was empty of anyone but himself, it seemed like all the other occupiers where either eating or sleeping. At least he didn't have to worry about comments of indecency then; he was still trying to work out why people gave him nervous looks just because of the way he dressed.

"_Ah well, guess I'll get something to eat too."_ he thought, making his way back to the room he had purchased for the night to collect his wallet. He hung the towel over his arm as he slid the door open, heading inside so he could properly change. "Hey, I think Akira and the others are gonna need another obedience drill." he said, dropping his towel and haori on the floor as he began wrapping the bandages around his arm. "They're starting to get a little cocky, Y'know?"

It didn't take him long to finish replacing the bandages, soon his arms were completely wrapped again. He made to pick his haori up and throw that on, but then he paused with a creased brow. He straightened up and turned his head to look at the corner to his right. In just a few moments, his expression turned from confusion to shock. The Ekokaeten was gone.

"Eko?" Naruto called, stupidly wondering if the blade had moved since he last put him down. He glanced around the room, his thoughts confirmed as he realised he had made no mistake. And there was no doubt in his mind either; with a blade that big and heavy, whoever took it was definitely picking a fight with him.

"_Oh, I _get_ it!"_ he thought, his shock disappearing as a smile appeared on his face. He looked to the wide open window; he now understood just what was happening. A chuckle passed his lips as he headed towards the opening in the wall, which headed out into a vast crevice littered with trees here and there. It was out to this vast emptiness that Naruto now looked, a slow grin spreading across his lips as his hair obscured his eyes. _"Guess I'll put off dinner for now."_

Gripping the sides of the window tight, he placed his foot on the sill and pulled himself up to a crouched position. He slowly searched the landscape with strong scrutiny; there was no immediate trail to speak of. And at this distance, it would be impossible to call Eko back to him. He considered calling Shinmaru to help track down the thief, out of the six dogs his sense of smell was the strongest. But he decided against it, he would do this on his own.

Hopping out onto the ground outside, Naruto began slowly stepping over to the cliff face just fifty yards away. Soon he was looking down into the vast valley below, where water from the hot springs and other locations cascaded down in the form of thin waterfalls all around. It was a sheer drop, Naruto wondered if the owners of the inn had maybe made a poor choice of location. From where he was standing, he could only just make out the face of the cliff before him. It seemed to incline slightly inwards, hence the small falls dropping instead of trickling down the rocks. Naruto's decision was now certified; he would have to go this way.

Taking a few steps back, he rolled his shoulders to make sure his bandages weren't too tight. He looked straight ahead, his eyes fading out of focus as he tested several little details. The wind was blowing south east, drifting across the left side of him and floating on by. The air was a little thin, though that was to be expected from this height. And the temperature was very warm; if not for the thin steam pouring over from the baths Naruto would have been dry by now.

"_All right."_ he thought, taking several deep breaths. His eyes came back into focus and set themselves on the cliff ahead. He hadn't done this very often; there were few cliffs like this place down in Hi or Mizu no Kuni. After a moments pause, he was fully prepared. Breaking from his standing position straight into a sprint, Naruto dashed straight for the edge. Then, putting all his weight into his legs, he leapt off the cliff face and into the empty sky. _"I'll come find you."_

* * *

The noises of the people filling the basement complex were as loud as ever, their voices melding into one indecipherable call. But for all the effect it had, the place could as well have been silent; not Yagura, Utakata or even Fuu had the focus to even hear these booming sounds, nor see what was right in front of them.

"A… crackdown?" Fuu repeated, her eyes wide as she stared at the ground. She barely even noticed the cold wall on her back, nor tried to hide her pressing the transceiver behind adjusting her hair. A foreboding sense of dread had come with the utterance of the word, but she wasn't sure why. "What's that?"

"It means that these guys are aiming to take down every last person here." Yagura replied, without hesitation. He was the first to recover, and the first to begin his more thorough analysis of the crowd. They were lucky that they hadn't been spotted, but he had a feeling that luck was being rather mischievous today. "The fighters, the guys running the place, and even the spectators."

Utakata looked up at Yagura as he said this, his brow creasing with a distressed look. His teeth clenched and his hands tightened, of all things to happen _this_ was beyond what he had expected. "And here I thought Konoha was peaceful." he muttered, with a darkening expression. He couldn't see the sense behind such an act, surely shutting the place down was enough? Was it really necessary to got this far?

Fuu, getting caught up by the solemn words her companions spoke, began looking between the places she imagined them to be worriedly. This mission was sounding to be even more serious than her last one; at least there it had only been a single rogue ninja. "W-what do we do?" she asked, hoping this situation wouldn't turn into something really dangerous. Her hopes were hindered however as no immediate reply came; the other two were hesitating.

"There's no way of knowing just how many Shinobi are actually here, there could be more outside as well." Yagura said, more voicing his thoughts than directly saying anything. This was because while he spoke, his mind was going into overdrive as he considered the situation as carefully as he could. "This mission could be a little out of our depth… what do you think?"

If anything was going to test Fuu's faith, it was this. She was shaken by Yagura's question; she didn't want a decision like this to be placed on her. Utakata too was troubled; it was more in his nature to follow orders than come to his own conclusions. But he knew that in this case it was unavoidable. Between the three of them, it was only Fuu who was unable to come up with an answer.

"All right… guess we'll need to do something soon." Yagura said, when he was feeling a little surer of their thoughts. He took a pause and breathed deeply, readying himself to voice his decision. Once he was ready, his eyes focused and his expression became fixed. "Ok, we'll need to-"

"Sorry niisan." Utakata interrupted, catching the younger boy by surprise. Yagura creased his brow as he looked at Utakata's face; the elder boy's eyes were obscured by his hair. He slowly searched his friend's face, wondering what he was going to say. "You mind if I take over?"

Yagura blinked, this was an unexpected thing for the normally passive Utakata to request. It was that, coupled with the unreadable look on his face that made Yagura frown uncertainly. "Utakata, what're you thinking?" he asked, unable to figure out what was going on in his companion's mind.

Utakata took a moment to respond, before raising his head. He met Yagura's eyes with a smile, but that didn't make his expression any less serious. "We need to make sure at least our employer gets out of here." he said, turning his eyes over to the place where he knew their third companion was. "Fuu-chan, can you handle that?"

Fuu's eyes widened in surprise as she was given a task, she hadn't expected to be given anything specific to do. "Ah, hai." she replied, with a dumb look on her face. She lifted her head and looked around her, locating the room that their employer was probably inhabiting at this moment. "I think I can do that."

Utakata gave an unneeded nod of thanks at Fuu's cooperation, before turning his gaze to Yagura. The straw haired boy met Utakata's smile with a stony expression, he was clearly getting a bad feeling. "Then, niisan, I'll need you to make sure it's safe outside." he said, knowing that he wouldn't need to ask, but also knowing that it wouldn't be that simple.

"What about you?" Yagura asked, cutting straight to the point. He so far understood what Fuu's role was, and his own was pretty clear. But his bad feeling was growing; what was it that Utakata-. Then it hit him. There was only one thing Utakata _could _do in that situation. "No way, don't do it Utakata!"

"You're being too loud niisan." Utakata replied, still smiling warmly at his friend. "We probably won't be able to just leave, we need to make sure that they're too occupied to notice." he finished, before giving a small wave with one hand, and removing his earpiece.

Yagura's teeth clenched as he realised Utakata fully intended to go ahead with what he said. He even watched as his fellow ex-Kiri-nin drew a tanto from the folds of his kimono, before disappearing into the crowds._ "Shit!"_ he thought, as he turned around and headed away himself. As much as he hated it, joining in the fight would probably get them both killed. And so he headed out to do as Utakata asked, reluctant though he may have been.

Watching from over his shoulder, Utakata saw Yagura disappear, and from a glance ahead was sure that Fuu was gone too. That was good, he could now move ahead with his plan freely. _"If it's just me, Konoha won't come chasing after us."_ he thought, as he located the closest disguised Shinobi, the one with the thick, wavy hair, and carefully walked up behind him.

Once he had neared a certain distance, he noticed that person tense up. That was almost enough to confirm his thoughts that this guy really was a Shinobi, but he just needed to check to be sure. "Hey, someone knocked my transceiver, you got a spare?" he asked, gripping his tanto at the ready. The man in front of him seemed to relax a little, turning his head to look back.

"Uh, sure, I think-" was as much as he managed to say. With a flick of his wrist Utakata slashed the undercover ninja's throat with his blade. The Shinobi blinked in surprise, before blood started bursting from the thick opening in his neck. "GRAHHH!"

"_Guess it's time…"_ Utakata thought, his eyes hidden by shadows as he kept his blade held at neck level. The spraying blood and death cry of the Shinobi drew the attention of everyone nearby, his yells soon mixing with others as they realised someone had been killed. As people began to rush for the exit, the suspicious people staying put, Utakata lowered his hands and kept his head bowed, his lips devoid of any expression. _"… Let's see then… if I really am…"_

* * *

The air beat hard against Naruto's skinny body, striking his shoulders and numbing his skin. It was at this time that he really wished he'd brought his haori, but there was no sense in thinking about it now. Instead he channelled his focus to his descent; the ground below was quickly becoming clearer to see.

He had heard of other people who liked to do things like these. Adrenaline junkies, some would call them. Though to be honest, Naruto couldn't quite see the thrill in such a thing. Maybe it was the fact that he found the heat of battle to be much more exciting, or maybe it was just that his training as a Shinobi meant that there was little to no doubt that he would come out of this alive. In either case, whatever feeling those people got, he wasn't receiving.

Well, that wasn't strictly true. He knew what was coming ahead, and that made him _very_ excited. Indeed, if not for his rapid fall his grin would be much broader. However, he doubted his head could hold that much wind flapping into his mouth, so he kept his lips sealed tight. This wasn't to last too much longer however; the end of his little trip was finally coming into sight.

He glanced around him to judge the distance between his body and the rock wall. Once he had confirmed it, he clapped his hands together in a method he seldom used, but needed to make sure he accurately regulated his chakra. When he was certain, he released it to the open air, the Fuuton: Reppusho thrusting him back to the cliff face.

Once his momentum had been set, he slowly flipped through the air and planted his feet on the wall, before leaping straight down from there. He bounded off several jutting pieces of rock, before finally reaching a place close enough to be called the bottom. With one final flip, Naruto struck the ground in a crouched position, one leg outstretched to the side as he pressed his hands against the ground.

"_Alright…" _he thought, smirking to himself as he steadily raised his head. He could see the falls from the near incalculable height above strike the ground down here, forming into streams amongst the boulders and heading in the same rough direction. His heart was racing and his breaths came in hard lungfuls, but for some reason he couldn't wipe the smirk from his face. _"_That_ was pretty awesome."_

After a moment's recuperation he slowly got to his feet, his numb body a little unsettled. But his blood was pumping back fast; he was getting pins and needles all over his torso just from the slightest movement. It was enough to make him shiver, which was unfortunate considering that it only triggered more of the same.

"Hey, you're here aren't you?" he called, looking around with a confident expression. He could almost sense the presence of another person, but his internal systems were a little frazzled at the moment. Fortunately that person was on to make their presence known, in the form of the Ekokaeten appearing just beside Naruto with the tip embedding into the earth. Naruto casually looked up over his shoulder, finding the person who threw the blade. "It's been a long time…"


	34. Crumbling walls of an inner temple

Damn, I wanted to get this out earlier but I was lazy on day one and busy on day two. Still, here it is, a fitting result to the rather large cliffhanger I left you with last chapter (I know you hate those, but screw it, it's my style). Anyway, got some things to think about for the next chapter, I can't really say I have it fully planned as it is.

Disclaimer: It still wierds me out to see Kakashi's changed hairstyle, y'know that?

* * *

**Crumbling walls of an inner temple**

The thin falls crashed down onto the boulders below, almost shattering the rocks with their gathered force. As a result the earth was damp, giving firm footing at first, but treacherous to those who pushed a little too hard. The wind howled through the valley, giving the place a chilling feeling that contradicted the warmth of the setting sun. Overhead an eagle soared, watching the two figures far below with eyes that would as well as put it right next to them.

Gaara stood several metres above Naruto, taking place on a boulder nearby one of the small waterfalls. He watched his blonde friend with cold eyes, his arms folded as he silently awaited what he expected to come. The sane was already formed around him, outstretched a little towards Naruto. It looked like the mystery as to how the Ekokaeten was carried away had now been solved.

Naruto slowly turned around, looking up at Gaara with a grin on his face. The numbness in his body had now left him, and was quickly being replaced with anticipation for what he knew was going to come. "It's been a long time…" he said, his eyes bearing a bright sheen as they met with Gaara's. "Since you've done something like this."

Gaara didn't reply, nor offer any acknowledgement to what Naruto was saying at all. Instead, he allowed the sand to do the talking for him. It curled in the air, before lashing out at Naruto like a serpent moving in for the kill. Naruto grabbed Eko and ran to his right, avoiding the striking sand and leaping up to the wall. He moved just enough so that he was running across the stone surface, heading straight for Gaara with his blade held at the ready.

Naruto met Gaara on the very ledge he stood upon, striking Eko with great force. As expected, the sand rose to defend Gaara. But the force of Naruto's swing was so great that it left an indent in the near impregnable wall. As such Gaara was forced to take a step back to allow his defences to recalibrate themselves, else risk them breaking under the pressure of the attacks. Naruto didn't give him time to counter, he moved in with several more slashes of equal strength, resulting in both him and Gaara taking a walk of sorts across the long outcrop.

They passed behind the falls as they moved, Eko's massive form cutting through the water and spraying warm droplets everywhere. Naruto could see the concentration in Gaara's creased brow; neither were making the mistake of putting minimal effort in. The sand continued to defend against the blade, but the indents seemed to be growing deeper, as if the sand were weakening.

"_Now!" _Naruto thought, bending his knees and leaping overhead. He had reacted in the nick of time, not a second later the sand that had surreptitiously gathered on the ground shot up to strike him. He whipped around in the air and slashed at the coming sand, adding a little chakra to Eko to disturb the chakra in the sand.

He didn't need to watch to see his attack have effect, the sand collapsed after being struck by Eko. That was a handy way of getting rid of the sand Gaara used offensively. However, he had no such luck with the defensive sand; only brute force could break through that. Although it wasn't like he was lacking in that area either. He wore a smirk as he hit the ground, using one hand to pull Eko back and point it at Gaara. He then took a small jump back, before using the friction with the ground to launch himself forward.

With a powerful thrust, and the aid of some Fuuton chakra, Naruto drove Eko straight into the shield of sand. Unable to take the force of the attack, the shield broke and Gaara was forced to leap back to avoid being impaled. Naruto didn't pursue him though; he stood still as he watched Gaara's expression. "You done warming up now?" he asked, taking Eko on both hands and holding the blade angled a little to his right. "I wanna see the thing that knocked both you _and_ Yagura unconscious!"

Gaara's focused expression left him as rational thought returned. That alone made Naruto all the more keen to see it, the thing that could instil such a reaction from someone so unresponsive. Gaara straightened up, losing his combat stance. He considered what Naruto was asking, he was well aware that Naruto knew that this was the true reason behind his actions anyway.

"Fine." he said, slowly raising his hands like a conductor directing an orchestra. All around him the sand rose into the air, moving past Naruto and towards the red haired boy. Naruto looked around with an excited grin on his face, wondering if the outcome would be like the first time he and Gaara fought.

The sand whirled around in a fierce storm as it surrounded Gaara like a small tornado. It slowly contracted on the boy, until he had completely disappeared within it. Naruto squinted, but not even the vaguest form of the desert boy could be seen through the sand cyclone.

"_Hey, his chakra level is rising fast."_

Naruto nodded from Eko's warning, but he failed to take it to heart. He was so eager for what was coming that reason was beginning to fail him. His posture was enough to attest to that, his arms and legs were both tensed for whatever would be coming. The answer to the question running through his mind finally came to light, as the sand tornado suddenly scattered apart.

Now Gaara stood, quite different from before. His gourd had completely disappeared from sight, and had been replaced by a long, thin appendage of sand the seemed attached to Gaara's right arm. Naruto looked at the arm, an odd glitter to his eyes as he studied the impressive looking addition to Gaara's body. The blackened claws hanging a foot past the end of Gaara's hand… Naruto was feeling more than ready to see what they could do.

Gaara himself seemed interested in what had happened. He looked over the third arm stuck to his own, golden eyes marked with black stars scanned the sand form with interest. "This is all I will use for now." he said, letting his arm drop to his side as he returned his gaze to Naruto. "As it is, I will not be able to hold back."

Naruto laughed lightly at this bold statement, even though he was disappointed that Gaara was limiting what he would use, he was at least happy that what the sand manipulator was using would be utilised without restraint. He could see Gaara's fist clench, and with it the sand claw too did tighten. Unable to hold it back any longer, Naruto ran in at top speed.

"_What're you gonna do then?"_ he thought to himself, as he drew upon his momentary opponent. He leapt up into the air with Gaara still watching him, blotting out the sun with his form as he raised Eko high above his head, before bringing it down with all its weight and some effort on his part. "Hya!"

* * *

There were ten people remaining in the arena after that, excluding Utakata. Both of the fighters were looking up at him, along with the so called spectators. They all watched the lone boy, who stood with his eyes hidden in shadows and wielding a bloody tanto. There was no mistake as to which role he was playing, the still twitching corpse of another man lay before him.

With no one else present in the room, the ten people around saw no further reason to disguise themselves. They each reached for their collars and pulled their disguises off in a flourish, only the fighters maintaining their appearance. In moments the ten people had become ten Konoha Shinobi, their green flak jackets and leaf emblazoned forehead protectors certifying their identities.

Utakata slowly crouched down onto the ground, before wiping the blood from his blade off onto the body of the now deceased Shinobi. A thought then struck his mind, marked by his momentary hesitation. He reached up to the collar of the corpse and with a pull, he removed the disguise. As expected, here lay another Shinobi of Konohagakure. Even though Utakata had had little doubt, he still got a feeling of relief from that. Once the feeling was passed however, he did what he intended to do.

The Konoha Shinobi watched him as he removed the forehead protector from the dead man's body, holding it in the air for them to see. Their expressions were each angered by his taking an item so precious to Shinobi, but they kept themselves enough not to react. Utakata got back to his feet, and looked to the Shinobi with a challenging look about him.

"So either he was the weakest link, or you Konoha nin are just too trusting." he said, a one sided smirk appearing on his face. His eyes turned to the forehead protector, to which he promptly threw aside, letting it fall into the shadows. "Either way, this guy's plate isn't even worth adding to my collection."

"Formation D!" called the person who must have been captain. In an instant each of the Shinobi were moving, forming hand seals as they rapidly headed to take on Utakata. It seemed that last action had struck a nerve with them; they were all giving him full on glares.

"_Perfect."_ Utakata thought, casually throwing his tanto through the bars of the cage. It sailed through the air and struck the light that hung over the arena, shattering the bulb and bathing the room in deep darkness. _"With them focused on me, niisan and Fuu-chan can move freely."_

The Konoha Shinobi each came to a stop as the lights went out, cancelling their seals as they lost sight of their target. They each rummaged quickly through their pouches, before several snapping sounds could be heard. In moments, nine flares lit up in a red hissing glow, before getting tossed into the air and scattered around the room. Though it was nowhere near enough to light up the room, it did make the floor an impossible place to sneak around on. And judging by that fact, it was safe to assume that there was in fact _no one_ on the floor at that time.

"Very clever." Utakata's voice called, from somewhere within the shadows. In an instant that place was bombarded with shuriken, along with the area around it. "But you realise that's a double edged sword don't you?" the voice came again, this time from the opposite side of the room.

He smirked to himself inside the darkness, he knew that he was at as much of a disadvantage as those around him; his ability with the silent killing technique left something to be desired. But what he _could_ do was a little trick of his, one that thankfully made up for his lacking ability. He raised his bubble blower to his lips, and let out a long stream of bubbles that floated in the direction he gave to them.

After a few moments with nothing happening, the Konoha Shinobi began to act on their own. Though soundless, Utakata could still get the feeling that there were people moving around him. To that end, his smirk widened further when his bubbles reached their mark. Then they all struck together, conflicting chemicals causing them to spark, and eventually bathe the room in the light of a custom flash grenade.

Utakata was protected from this with a raised hand; the place the bubbles exploded failed to reach him. But what he did manage to find was the location of several of his opponents, nearly all of whom were shielding their eyes in pain. He took immediate advantage of this, slipping his bubble blower away before forming the ram seal. Then the light faded, with only the blazing flares breaking the otherwise absolute darkness.

Silence passed for several moments, with no sign of attack on either side. But the Konoha Shinobi were by no means unprepared, even now they were taking methods to improve their situation. "Raiton: Incandescence!" called a voice from the shadows. Suddenly the room was lit up in a pale blue glow as the metal bars of the cage coursed with electricity. Almost all shadows were completely eliminated, and everyone present was now visible. However, that proved to be only part of the problem; there was once more ten Konoha Shinobi.

All eyes turned to the two identical ninja, who locked eyes with each other. In moments the two of them were locked in close combat, fighting to decide who the original was. Each of the other Shinobi made haste surround these two, each one holding kunai at the ready. "Itsuki!" called the team captain, looking between the two combatants with narrow eyes. "Don't kill him, knock him unconscious."

The two Itsuki's nodded in reply, but neither took their eyes off the other for a moment. Each of the surrounding Shinobi wore a more relaxed look; it would be clear who the fake was soon. _"Damn, looks like I should give them more credit."_ Utakata thought, as he blocked the real Itsuki's punch. It looked like his choice of moves had been a faulty one; once more his weakness at direct combat could be shown. But he wasn't too worried by this. He still had ideas even for this situation.

Steadily growing impatient, Itsuki's attacks grew more intense. He knew that if he stayed on the offensive, there was nothing to worry about. All he had to do was make sure that the enemy didn't have the chance to counter or parry, and he would be just fine.

However it was that mindset that failed him when Utakata ducked under his punch and threw him over his shoulder. Itsuki was sent flying through the air, knocking straight into one of his comrades. Not one to waste opportunity, Utakata ran at Itsuki and stepped on his back, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a smoke pellet. He tossed it down to the ground, causing the two colliding nin to inhale a mouthful of smoke as he left their range.

It was there that the other Shinobi acted however, but in this caser they didn't chase after him. Six of them rapidly moved their hands through the same set of seals, before planting their palms onto the ground. "Kuchiyose: Origami!" they called, each of them fixing their eyes to the fake Itsuki. Utakata barely had time to turn his head around, before their Jutsu came into effect.

Smoke exploded around his feet as something appeared beneath him, before rising all around him. In barely a moment, he was trapped inside a tall iron box, connected to the ground with chains that ran around it. But that wasn't all. Each of the six Shinobi who summoned the box raised their hands before them as more smoke burst in front of them. Then, in a sudden rush they all ran at the box, wielding long black katana in their hands. They quickly surrounded the box, and without the slightest hesitation, forced their blades through the small holes in the iron walls.

"HRYAAH!" Utakata's voice screamed, as he was run through by the blades. Each of the Shinobi held on tight, feeling the resistance that had come with their attack. The captain of the large team then closed in fast, forming hand seals before he planted both his hands upon the iron box.

"Raiton: Electrostatic Discharge!" he called, triggering his Jutsu. Blue lighting added to that of the bars behind as electricity coursed through the katana and the box, and of course, Utakata. His screams were almost drowned out by the hiss of the lightning, a sound that only Shinobi like these could listen to unflinchingly.

After a few moments, the Jutsu came to pass. All that was left was the smallest of sparks dancing across the metal prison, and the faint wisps of smoke that rose from out of the holes. The seven Shinobi each took a step back, drawing the blades out and watching for any signs of life. The two Shinobi that Utakata had incapacitated had finally gotten over their coughing fit and had rose to their feet, joining the group in surrounding their probably deceased opponent.

"All right, bring it down." the captain ordered, nodding to the Shinobi in front of them. They each gave their words of reply, raising their hands into seals to dispel their Jutsu. However, just before they could follow through, the captain stopped them. "Wait." he said, watching the box with a frown. "What's… that?"

The Shinobi all looked in confusion, studying the holes in the box with wary expressions. They could hear a faint sound, like something boiling inside. What was more, there was a faint red light emitting from inside, and ominous glow that spread outside the box. To each of the guard's shock and surprise, something began frothing out of the holes. Something faintly red, but opaque. And with it came another sound inside the crate; a deep, guttural groan.

* * *

Naruto stood rigid, his arms held high and tense as he wore a surprised expression. He seemed to be almost stuck in place, Eko's massive form held frozen in the air. Around the blade's body were the blackened claws of Gaara's sand arm, gripping him tightly without the slightest hint of indent. Gaara looked at Naruto with a passive expression, his real hand mimicking the grabbing motion that the claw was making.

Then, suddenly, he turned Naruto's force back at him. He pushed the blade away and sent Naruto back with it, the blond stumbling back a bit before collecting himself. However, true to his forewarning, Gaara was unwilling to let an opportunity pass. He dashed towards Naruto, holding his arm in front of him and tensing it. The sand appendage responded to his will, and immediately changed into the shape of a long blade attached to his arm. Naruto quickly raised Eko defensively, his surprise turning to shock as sparks flew from the impact of the two swords.

"_Close combat?"_ he thought, displaying genuine astonishment at Gaara's display of a fighting style he knew next to nothing of. It was this that overshadowed the hardness of the sand, but didn't completely remove it from attention. Naruto looked at it as the two blades scraped against each other, his brow creasing incredulously. _"How the hell is it _this_ strong?"_

The two of them leapt apart from each other, before jumping back in right away. Naruto gave a sharp horizontal slash, to which Gaara blocked and thrusted upwards. He then used the moment that Naruto was open to slash at his gut, but Naruto managed to avoid it by swiftly kicking at Gaara. The shield of sand reacted as it should, and as a result acted as a platform of sorts for Naruto to bound back off of.

"_Looks like his defence is still in place, but seems like you can use that to your advantage."_

Eko was definitely right, but it was a feeble thing indeed. Gaara had his own advantage in that his blade was attached to him and therefore impossible to remove. But with that came it's own disadvantage; he had a large blind spot to his left. Deciding to utilise that, Naruto ran at Gaara before making a feign, pretending to head left before rapidly moving to the right. He then mustered a great amount of force as he swung Eko around, aiming the flat of the blade to slam straight into Gaara.

To Naruto's amazement however, even though his attack hammered through the sand shield it failed to connect. The reason for this was the Gaara had raised his left arm and held his right one across his stomach. He had then reshaped his blade back into an arm, which had reached out and grabbed Eko again.

It gripped the blade tight, but even Naruto could see the deformation of the sand; it looked like Gaara had acted just in time. Naruto quickly took one hand away from Eko and thrusted it at Gaara, the wind from his palm knocking the boy back and forcing him to break his hold on the giant blade. Naruto took this chance to back off, making some distance while Gaara's artificial limb reshaped itself.

"_Looks like the sand can't stay tough while he's changing the shape."_

Naruto nodded, that definitely seemed to be the case. But it wasn't much use to him; there was no way of attacking Gaara with Eko that would be fast enough to reach that opening. Knowing he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, Naruto decided he needed to come up with another method for getting past that dangerous weapon.

Gaara however gave him no such chance to form any plans, he dashed right in for the next attack. Naruto stepped back to defend, but found to his great shock that he was backed up against a wall; a wall of sand. _"So he can still do stuff like this huh?"_ Naruto thought, as he ducked under what would have been a lethal stab. He quickly let go of Eko and thrusted his hands up at Gaara, utilising both his Fuuton: Wind Palm and Fuuton: Reppusho to break through the shield of sand and hit Gaara in the chest.

The weight of the impact and the slightness of the range sent Gaara flying high into the air, despite his efforts to defend. Naruto kept his eyes on him as he got back to his feet, preparing to chase his opponent into the sky. But that was when he was met with something astounding. Gaara was racing towards him, even though he was _still in mid air!_ The sand flew beneath his feet with each step, providing a momentary platform that allowed him to close the distance to Naruto as if he were genuinely running downhill. Naruto was left wondering just how much Gaara's sand manipulation had improved; he barely had time to raise Eko in defence.

Blade on blade struck hard, with Eko's position and Gaara's intended uppercut resulting in the latter's forced rising of his weapon. It was here that Naruto decided to switch from offensive to defensive, biting through his thumb and hastily scribbling a seal onto Eko's body. He then slammed his palm straight onto the seal, and pushed Fuuton chakra into the giant sword.

What happened next was the equivalent of a gale force wind pulsing out of Eko's entire body. The power of the Fuuton: Reppusho Naruto channelled was released straight into Gaara, hitting him not quite hard enough to send him flying, but enough to seriously wind him. Naruto took advantage of the moment Gaara was stunned to then move around his friend's left and swing the flat side of Eko into his back, breaking through the shield and knocking him forward. He then quickly changed position, ducking down onto the ground and performing a sweeping kick that knocked Gaara off his feet and forced him to fall forward. He finished the move with a rising knee to the stomach, pushing in enough Fuuton chakra to break the shield and even crack the sand armour underneath. Though no injury was dealt to Gaara, he was forced onto his knees, gripping his stomach and wincing in pain.

"_Alright… I think that's enough."_

Naruto nodded in agreement, pushing the blade into the ground and placing his hands on his knees. Forcing out so much chakra so fast had cost him a lot of energy; he was feeling more than a little tired right now. He looked down at Gaara with one eye open, watching as the blade on his arm disintegrated onto the ground; it looked like the pain his stomach had made him lose his focus.

"Hey, let's call it quits for now." Naruto said, as he unsteadily straightened up. He hooked his hand under Gaara's arm and helped him to his feet, grinning tiredly as the red haired boy looked at him. "That's not bad, for your first time fighting close range I mean. if you can get that other arm working too, you'll be pretty tough to beat!"

Gaara considered Naruto's words, and studied the shirtless boy's sweaty torso. Although it was true that Naruto had a habit of overdoing it in fights, he certainly seemed exhausted even in that instance. He gave a nod of reply; he was satisfied with his results and now knew what to do about it. The sand around him gathered back into the gourd, and he looked up at the cliff above.

"Looks like we've got a climb ahead of us." he muttered, seeing the downside of his choice with a slight look of regret. That look was shared by Naruto, who had already been feeling tired before the fight. The two of them looked at the path above them, but then turned around as they heard a steady, beating sound.

Behind them was Deidara, mounted atop a large owl made of clay. He sat down on the oversize bird with one led hanging down by the model's neck, his jaw resting in his hand while he watched the two boys with an amused expression. "You guys really _are_ Kisame's students." he said, not bothering to hide his thin smile as he spoke. "Going all out right from the start, it's amazing you're still alive fighting like that."

Neither Gaara or Naruto had anything to say to that, the former was being his usual silent self while the latter just couldn't argue. Deidara chuckled faintly as he realised he would incite no response, before jerking his head over to the bird's back. "Come on, I'll give you a ride up." he said.


	35. Cuts that dig deep

I'm surprised I got this out so early, I spent all of yesterday digging up the garden. Guess I was in a dilligent mood or something. Anyways, don't be too surprised by how things turn out, if you think about it, you'd see that there wasn't much else to write about that side of things. Well I'm not gonna go into detail in case I spoil it, so here you go.

Disclaimer: Here's hoping the next chapter shapes up eh?

* * *

**Cuts that dig deep**

The sky had turned to quite a dark blue, though there was still the faintest strip of yellow on the horizon. The streets were empty, from the people who had rushed out of the alleyways everyone else had decided it best to depart as well. The only person visible in the vicinity was Yagura, and even he could not have been seen by anyone looking his way. The Genjutsu he had set would confuse all who passed, making them miss the building that Utakata and the Konoha Shinobi were inside. He had done his job for the most part, but he needed to remain wary of any Shinobi who saw through the illusion.

This would be an easier task if not for the fact that the Konoha Shinobi had had an amount of time to prepare that was impossible to estimate. For all he knew, they had already released the Genjutsu and were moving in their own way. It was that thought that made him worry even more so about his friend even more so.

But there were other things to think of too, Fuu for example. Despite keeping a vigilant watch, he had seen no sign of his female comrade or their employer. He didn't know what to think of that, had Fuu found a way to get out undetected, or had she encountered a problem and was still inside? He didn't want to risk speaking into the transceiver in case it distracted her from whatever she could be doing; he wasn't quite sure how reliable she was yet.

He peeked his head over the roof of a building close by the entrance to the underground arena. He was getting a bad feeling about this, Utakata wasn't really cut out for direct combat and there were scarcely places to hide down there. If not for the fact that he was needed out here, Yagura would be heading down there in an instant to help out. He cursed silently to himself, what was taking so long?

"_Damn it Utakata, hurry it will you?"_ Yagura thought, his brow creasing in frustration. He checked around him for any signs of life, finding there to be none at all. If not for the fact that the older boy had already removed his transceiver, Yagura could have tried contacting him like that. But as it was, he was left-

"_Hey, Yagura-kun!"_ came Fuu's voice, hissing through the transceiver. She spoke in a hushed whisper, urgency clear in her voice muffled by static. Yagura stopped to listen to her words; he was relieved that she was able to contact him. _"We got out, but there's a patrol at the harbour. What should I do?"_

Yagura looked over his shoulder towards Nami's waterfront; he had a vague idea of the place Fuu spoke of. He hadn't been expecting their employer to leave by water; that was a troublesome factor indeed. Dangerous though the situation was, he, Fuu and Utakata's priority was getting paid for the mission. That was something they couldn't guarantee in this situation, especially if their employer was leaving on boat.

After a moment's consideration, Yagura raised his hand to the transceiver. He had decided what needed to be done, but was reluctant to voice it. "Wait for me, I'll join up with you." he said, grudgingly turning his back on Utakata.

He had already taken measures for locating his fellow Jinchuriki, he knew their chakra signatures well enough to get a good idea of their location. Using that knowledge, he darted across the rooftops towards the place he could sense Fuu. Though it was weak at first, he could gradually sense it growing stronger.

The rooftops flitted beneath him as his eyes soared over the streets. He was wary of the patrols Fuu had spoken of; he sought to incite no more trouble than that which he already knew. He could feel Fuu's chakra presence growing stronger, but to his discomfort Utakata's remained the same. In fact, it seemed to be rising… changing?

"_You aren't!"_ Yagura suddenly thought, whipping his head back agitatedly. He could feel that aura, one that didn't belong to Utakata, and felt like it was part of him. Though he had no memories, Yagura also had no doubt; Utakata was using the power of the Rokubi. _"With that power… will it help or get in the way?"_

Now more than ever he felt the urge to head back, but he knew well that Fuu had greater need of him. All he could do was hope that Utakata could keep control of himself long enough for Yagura and Fuu to finish up and help him. It seemed a naïve hope though; despite his standing with the Sanbi he was still very aware of its nature. He imagined the Rokubi was even worse, Utakata had learned nothing of controlling his beast past keeping his emotions in check.

He no longer had the time to worry about that however; he was right on top of Fuu's location now. He hopped of the next rooftop and down into the thin, dark alley below, startling Fuu and the man who employed them. They both whipped their heads back to stare at him, wide eyed and fearfully sweating. "Yagura-kun!" Fuu whispered, a relieved look on her face. She was cut off however, when Yagura looked at her sharply.

"What's with that look?" he asked, his creased brow causing Fuu's initial happiness of seeing him to waver. He stepped between her and the employer, looking into the street out there. It was a straight shot to the harbour, but true enough he could just faintly make out the shapes of Shinobi using weaker forms of the Meisaigakure no Jutsu to render themselves almost invisible. It looked like they had been there for a while, if they were conserving chakra by only slightly using that Jutsu's abilities. Though it may have failed in this sense, it still left the problem that there was no way to tell just how many there were; Yagura could only see two right now.

"Hey, care to explain what's going on?" the employer hissed, glaring at Yagura through gritted teeth. He placed his hand on Yagura's arm to force eye contact, but Yagura sharply turned the move against him by raising his arm and pushing the employer against the alley wall. "What do you think you're doing?" the employer exclaimed, glowering Yagura angrily. But Yagura cut him short by pressing his arm against the man's chest, his eyes both cold and commanding.

"The mission parameters are far different from what you described." he said, looking straight into his employer's furious eyes. He was unflinching from such a gaze, instead of seeing that he was analysing everything else. "Why do I get the feeling that those "unfortunate people" you had fighting weren't there by choice? There's no reason for Konoha to use so many Shinobi just to take _you_ down, so what are they doing here?"

Fuu looked anxiously between the two of them, but after what Yagura said a few moments ago, she tried to keep herself a little more composed for the sake of appearances. However, what Yagura was saying _now_ was even more worrying; were they working for a slave driver? She wasn't sure how she felt about that, but she knew it was nothing good. And judging by the look on Yagura's face, he hardly condoned it either.

"I'm paying you to take out anyone who tries to bring me down!" the employer spat, not intimidated by Yagura's stance. He brushed the boy off, before drawing himself to his full height. Unfortunately for him, this wasn't much more than Fuu's so he hardly seemed impressive. "If you guys can't get me out of here, don't think you'll be getting a penny from me!"

"That's the other issue." Yagura said, taking a step back to allow the employer room to move. It was hardly to benefit the man before him, but maintaining an appearance like that would have been suspicious. "If this mission continues and you get away, how can we expect to be paid? You don't look like you have the money on you, and we won't accept cheques."

"What do you take me for?" the employer demanded, his face reddening and the veins in his temples twitching. It looked like if the circumstances weren't so dangerous, he'd be yelling until he was blue in the face. As it was however, he was forced to keep it down. "The money's on the boat, you'll get it once I'm there!"

Yagura continued to look at the man distrustfully; so far from the events of the night he had been given no reason to do otherwise. But since their choices were limited, he unwillingly relented. "I guess we'll see then." he said, before turning his back to the employer. He then looked at Fuu, who was unable to hide the look of awe she was giving him; the gruff manner in which he dealt with the employer had made her rather amorous. "Can you sedate the patrols?"

Fuu blinked as whatever fantasy she was concocting left her. She looked over to the guard positions, her expression turning rather upset as she shook her head. "I don't think I could get all of them." she said, feeling sorry about letting Yagura down. But Yagura just shook his head, he hadn't really expected it of her anyway.

"Alright then, looks like we'll have to be a little creative." he said, looking back down the open street. The deep, thoughtful look in his eyes caused both Fuu and the employer to stare curiously at him. It took him a few moments, but eventually he came up with a sketchy, but hopefully effective plan. "This is gonna be tough, but listen up…"

Up ahead, the patrols continued to watch their position. It had been a while since any news had come their way, and with nothing happening here they were growing rather bored. One Shinobi in particular had taken to pacing up and down the street, confident enough in his camouflage Jutsu that he felt he could move freely. It was this decision that led him to be the first to notice that strange sight up ahead, one that made him speak into his transceiver.

"… _That's the local doctor."_ explained one of his comrades, who had turned his eyes to the figure that had appeared at the end of the street. A man with fading hair, glasses and a white coat was walking towards the waterfront, oblivious to the patrols watching down that way. _"Still, check him out. It's strange for him to be here, especially with _that_."_

_That_ of course was a direct reference to the cart that the local doctor was pulling. It was a large wooden trolley of sorts, rolling along on small wheels and getting pulled by an iron handle. But what had caught their attention was not the trolley itself, but the two full body bags that lay atop of it.

The doctor continued to pull his morbid package along, while the guard who had spotted him took position in a nearby doorway. Then, once he had released his Jutsu, he headed out into the street and raised his hand to stop the doctor. "Excuse me sir, would you mind explaining what you're doing here?" he asked, taking his steps so that he was directly in the doctor's way. Taking no offence by that, the doctor merely raised his brow in surprise and lowered the handle of the trolley onto the ground.

"Terrible business." he said, with a sombre expression. He indicated down to the body bags behind him, speaking in the half hearted tone of someone who knew the inhabitants of those containers. "Young couple, got lost in the woods and had to survive off the plantation for a while. They both wound up with cholera."

The Shinobi glanced down at the body bags again, he clearly had a suspicious look about him. The doctor seemed honest enough though, but that was easily faked in the hands of skilled people. The Shinobi pointed to the body bags, his attention fixed to the doctor for the smallest reaction. "You don't mind if I take a look do you?" he asked, following his duty despite his desire for the night to end.

The doctor frowned at the Shinobi, looking over the rim of his glasses to study the messy brown hair and dark rings under the ninja's eyes. It looked like he was ready to call it a night. "Is there any need to?" he enquired, clearly not in favour of the idea. However, under the Shinobi's gaze he let out a sigh, this was clearly not something he was going to win. "Very well, though I should warn you that their condition isn't exactly exemplary."

The Shinobi gave a nod of appreciation as the doctor stepped around to one of the body bags and took the zipper in hand. The Konoha nin moved closer to inspect, staring down as the doctor slowly pulled the zipper down. But before he could see what lay inside, he was hit by a force that made his eyes bulge considerably. "Guegh!" he gagged, raising his hand to his face and taking a quick step back. The moment an opening had been made in the bag a rotten smell like nothing that had ever reached him struck like fire to his sinuses. "Alright, fine! Close it up!" he hastily said, signalling with his hand fore the doctor to hurry up and do so.

"I warned you." the doctor gravely replied, as he closed the bag once again. He turned back to face the Shinobi, who had taken the sleeve of his fleece to his face in an attempt to rid himself of that putrid stench. "I'm afraid I don't really have the facilities to make the dead more _presentable_."

The Konoha nin didn't miss the distaste in the doctor's voice, but in this case it couldn't be avoided. He lowered his arm and looked at the doctor seriously, more than willing to let him move on now. "Why are you heading this way then?" he asked, since there were still underlying issues to be met. "Do you often dump corpses in the water?"

"Show some respect!" the doctor exclaimed, his tone harsh and unforgiving. He gave a cross look to the Shinobi, who looked to be a little surprised from the sudden outburst he received. "These two requested a burial at sea, I am merely honouring their last wishes! You Shinobi of all people should know of this!"

The Shinobi blinked suddenly, his wide eyes met by glaring ones. After he thought for a moment though, he averted his gaze with a shamed look to him. "I… you're right, please forgive me." he said, before stepping aside embarrassedly. He gestured with his hand for the doctor to move on, but was unable to make eye contact at the time. "Please, be on your way."

The doctor regarded the Shinobi, searching his face up and down. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh, before taking up the handle to the trolley and going on his way. "Keep up the good work." he said, as he passed by the guilty looking man beside him. He headed on down the street, while the Konoha nin silently put his camouflage Jutsu back in place.

Though he was watched through his journey from the street down to the docks, the doctor then on was unhindered by the other ninja patrols. He made his way from the hard ground onto wooden walkways, the wheels of the trolley rattling along the planks as he turned and headed down past the line of boats. After a few moments, and a couple of turns, he entered the area where shacks and such obstructed the views of the Shinobi behind him. It was here that he let out a breath of relief, but kept himself enough to continue on as he was.

He eventually found the boat he was looking for, a fairly classy looking one at that. It was a rather lavish motorboat, far from befitting to the person who owned it. The doctor came to a stop here, and with a grunt of effort he picked up the two body bags and slung them over his shoulders. Watching where he stepped carefully, he made his way onto the boat before heading into the cabin. Though the light was very much lacking in here, he managed to place the two body bags down on the floor without doing them any harm.

"_This should be fine."_ he thought, before he was engulfed in a small cloud of smoke. After a moment, a small breeze blew that smoke away and revealed Yagura in the doctor's place. He looked at the body bags below him and crouched down, carefully pulling the zipper of one down and opening it. Inside the bag was Fuu, laying down and looking to be just barely conscious.

"Fuueyyy…" she whined, her eyes becoming dizzy spirals as the decaying smell once more filled the air. Though it took a little while, she eventually came back to her senses. When she did, she looked up at Yagura with tearful eyes, looking to be more than a little unhappy with her situation, "Yagura-kuuun!" she complained, still looking to be rather unsettled.

"Sorry, but I might have needed you awake back there." Yagura apologised, as he helped her up to a sitting position. As he looked at her face, he found himself unsure of if her tears were because of something in the solution he had lined the bags with or if the smell of it had caused her reaction. But in either case, he needed her to get over it quick. "Here, dry your eyes." he said, as he removed his muffler and handed it to her. Fuu looked at him with surprised eyes as she quietly accepted the garment, before she could give a word of thanks Yagura had already turned away.

Their employer had been fortunate compared to Fuu. Yagura had no doubts that the man could survive poor air conditions with his smoking habits, but he couldn't rely on him remaining still with that stench around him. As such he had been sedated before hand, and as proven when the bag was opened, the drug was still in effect.

Once both Fuu and the employer were out of the bags, Yagura rolled them up and tossed them just outside the cabin. He then headed over to the front where the controls were, and stared at them with a look of deep concentration. Fuu looked at him curiously, wondering what was going through his mind when suddenly he announced it. "I got no clue how to drive this thing."

"Eh?" Fuu exhaled, cocking her head with an exasperated smile. She really hadn't wanted to hear that, not with their only other choice being unconscious. And so her inherent nature came forth, and she did the only thing she could do; become totally naïve. "It's easy isn't it?" she asked, getting to her feet and placing Yagura's muffler around the back of her neck. She stepped over beside him and studied the controls, her expression blank but expectant. "Why would they make them difficult?"

"I don't think they intended to do that." Yagura replied, giving Fuu a tired but incredulous look. He watched as she reached out and pressed a random button, before waiting for something to happen. Yagura doubted that Fuu had ever been on a boat in her life, she was swaying lightly and dangerously. "Uh… maybe you should sit down."

"Uh… ok!" Fuu said brightly, flashing Yagura a smile before turning around and finding the bench along the wall of the cabin. Not for the first time Yagura was impressed by Fuu's unusual ways of dealing with stress; he himself was steadily losing it as his attention flew to several worrisome points. He hadn't forgotten about Utakata, who was back there most likely tearing the place apart.

"Yo."

Yagura blinked in surprise as the very person who inhabited his thoughts appeared in the doorway of the cabin. He stared at Utakata bewilderedly, he looked like he had gone running through a blazing thorn bush or something. His kimono was torn in several places and he was covered on black marks. But what was worst of all, was the fact that blood could be seen dribbling out of several serious looking wounds all over his chest, staining his once blue kimono a very deep red. Yet to both Yagura and Fuu's unsettlement, the eldest of the three walked in with a smile on his face, looking as if he was completely unaware of the state he was in.

"Uh… are… you ok?" Yagura asked, shadows obscuring his eyes as he frowned at his critical condition comrade. He was tense, certain that any moment Utakata would collapse from loss of blood. Maybe he was in shock, hell, maybe _Yagura_ was in shock. Whatever the case, this situation was too unreal to just accept as it was.

Luckily Fuu at least managed to react in a somewhat appropriate manner. She shot to her feet, her arms wind milling as her eyes started spinning again. Her lips flapped as babbling talk flew out from them. "Uta- he- Yagu- I- wha- bleed- lots- I- FUWAH!" she finally cried, before she got too dizzy and fell back onto the bench. Both the other boys watched her, distracted from the situation by her sudden but not inappropriate response.

"Is… she ok?" Utakata asked, leaning on the doorway by his arm as he looked down at Fuu with some concern. It was that which snapped Yagura back into reality, he was finally able to accept the shocking sight before him. Utakata however had no awareness of this, as something hit his nose. "… What the hell is that?"

"Never mind that!" Yagura exclaimed, stepping over their employer as he rushed over to check Utakata's injuries. Etiquette almost failed him as he grabbed at Utakata's kimono, had the taller boy not been acting so nonchalant Yagura was sure he wouldn't have worried about such unimportant things. "What the fuck happened to you?"

Utakata turned his surprised eyes to Yagura, before slowly looking down at his chest. The sight of the blood seemed to cause something to spark in his mind, his eyes widening and his lips parting. He stared for several long seconds, his mind flying in all sorts of directions. _"That… that's right!"_ he thought, as memory of the earlier fight finally reached him. _"The Konoha nin… they stabbed me… they _killed_ me!"_

"_No one's gonna be able to kill ya."_

He froze there, as those words flew into his mind. He had never taken it seriously, letting the impossible concept push back into the corners of his mind. Not for an instant had he actually considered it… but… it was true? He had many stab wounds running through him, each one burned from the electricity he recalled being pumped with. Why was he still alive?

"Screw the mission, we're taking you to a doctor." Yagura said, grabbing Utakata by the arm and beginning to push him down to the bench. Utakata however came back to his senses from this, realising the situation he was causing just being like this.

It was for this very reason that he resisted, staying upright despite Yagura's efforts. The straw haired boy frowned up at him, feeling both shocked and annoyed as Utakata patted him on the head. "You worry too much niisan." the elder boy said, as he stepped around Yagura and over their employer. "There's nothing to worry about, let's just continue."

"So you say, but it's hard not to worry when your clothes aren't even the same colour anymore." Yagura replied, coming back over to Utakata to try again. He was brushed off however as Utakata took to the controls; at least he had some knowledge on using boats like this.

"Even if you say that, there isn't much choice." Utakata said, fixing his eyes on the glass ahead. He turned on the boat's ignition and the motor roared to life. The cabin lit up and Fuu awakened from her momentary faint to the sight of a morbid angel, the bloodstains on Utakata's back had formed a pair of large crimson wings. "I don't think Konoha will take too long to track us if I'm like this, we need to get out of their range fast."

Yagura's frown deepened and his eyes widened at this thought. He whipped his head back to confirm the idea in his head, and sure enough he saw it. A trail of blood that Utakata had left in his coming here, that he hadn't even been aware of from his own state of shock. As much as he hated it, Yagura had to agree with Utakata. But he didn't have to leave things as they were, there was still something he could do. "Alright, fine, but we'll have to fix you up." he said, as he quickly turned around and opened the first aid cabinet on the wall. He pulled out a roll of gauze and some small bottles before looking at Fuu and jerking his head.

The two of them tended to Utakata as the boat began moving, but Fuu proved to be of little use. Aside from having very poor balance in this situation, she suddenly became very uneasy when they pulled the upper half of Utakata's kimono down. She managed to keep herself from shivering from the large amount of blood, but it seemed that the greatest issue was Utakata himself. "Please don't take advantage of the situation, Fuu-chan." he said, looking over his shoulder with a cool but vulnerable expression.

Fuu reacted just as expected, her face taking on a full on flush as her skin turned a bright shade of red. What was even worse was an unfortunate side effect to Nikusui; the steam that rose from her skin. She looked like a thermos filled with boiled water, much to Utakata's cruel enjoyment. He got his own however as Yagura pressed one of the cuts with a cloth bearing some solution. He winced as his wound stung, and returned his attention to the task at hand. They pulled out of the harbour and began to make their distance from Nami no Kuni, waiting for their employer to awake.


	36. Invaders from the instigating lands

This chapter is much later than I'd like it to be, even if it's only by a few hours. Fortunately though during the final stretch i became a little hyper; here's hoping it keeps up as I start the next one. Anyways, it's hot as hell here, hotter than you'd expect in Scotland anyway. I'm gonna take a break, cool down, then get started again.

Disclaimer:... ok, Naruto, after that last manga chapter (495) I really have to say this. WHAT... THE... HELL? That guy... damn.

* * *

**Invaders from the instigating lands**

The landscape shimmered waveringly under the gaze of the sun as the eyes were tricked with a small mirage. The thin air was made even denser by sweltering heat, one which the dry earth did little to console for. There was scarcely a stream in sight, nor a tree or any vegetation. All there was were the many hills and plateaus the filled the line of view in every direction. This place was hardly the most desirable, it would take long and disciplined conditioning for one to adapt to this place. Unfortunately, it was this conditioning that Naruto and Gaara were lacking. They walked through a narrow valley, where even here they were at the mercy of the sun above.

"Man… it's too hot!" Naruto gasped, as he limped along the rigid road. He had been used to the moist conditions of Nami no Kuni; he had even found Hi no Kuni to be unreasonably warm. As it was, he felt almost ready to collapse where he stood. "Who the hell would want to live in a place like this?"

Gaara didn't reply, he was putting all his efforts into pretending he didn't notice the heat. Despite the shame he felt from it, even he who had been raised in the desert had lost his ability to cope well with the heat. If not for his knowledge of these climates, most likely he would be looking as desperate as Naruto right now.

Up in front of them, Deidara caught the other blonde's words and gave a small smile. Glancing over his shoulder with a cocky expression, he looked over the two boys and restrained himself from chuckling. "Here I thought Kisame's students would be tougher than that." he said, as he turned his eyes ahead again. "Even if you can't bear it, don't share it. That's the sorta thing I can picture him saying."

"No… I really don't think he would." Naruto replied, looking at Deidara with tired eyes. Even if their sensei would promote toughness, it was incredibly unlikely he would emphasise that with rhyme. But what was more important at that point was what else Deidara said. "Are you picking a fight with me?" he asked, before jerking his thumb over to Eko. "This thing is hot as hell, you wanna carry him?"

"_Sorry to burden you."_

Too exhausted to deal with Eko's sudden mood, Naruto simply let his arms hang loosely in front of him. Even though it was only around midday, he was ready to call it quits and crawl into the nearest shadow. He also had a feeling that if it were just him and Gaara on this mission, the latter wouldn't protest. But with Deidara here, Gaara would refuse to appear weak, and with that left Naruto's chances of cooling down.

"Relax, we're there." Deidara suddenly said, jerking his head to the path in front of him. Both Naruto and Gaara screwed up their eyes as they tried to see just where "there" was. All that they could see were the valley walls on either side of them, and the tip of the incline not too far away. But as they steadily grew closer to that slight apex, a much broader landscape came into view.

Though perhaps small by most common comparisons, the village that lay before them completely filled their line of view. The terrain down there was far from regular, most of the buildings seemed to have been built around the cracks and crevices, while others were made _inside_ the very earth that supported the village. Rope bridges led over the pits and between the buildings, offering meagre means of getting around for those lacking the skills that ninja utilised. From the buildings that could be seen, the architects seemed to focus well on making them blend in with the rocky spires that had been hollowed out and utilised themselves. All in all, it seemed nothing here was wasted. There were even sparse patches of trees on the buildings, though how they survived was anyone's guess.

"Is this place really a village?" Naruto wondered aloud, as he and Gaara followed Deidara down towards the strange community. It looked to him to be more like a city belonging to ant soldiers he'd once had a nightmare about. The tiny people moving over the bridges and past the holes in the walls didn't exactly help with that image.

Deidara looked back at him again, a curious look in his single visible eye. He turned his attention back to the village, regarding it for a moment. "Iwa uses the same basic architecture for its outposts as it does for its main body." He explained, regarding the familiar scene with mixed feelings of delight and annoyance. "That way Iwa Shinobi are always in their element, ready for whatever happens, yeah."

"If there is a Shinobi presence here, why are we taking the conventional entrance?" Gaara asked, watching the gate below for any signs of movement. Though he had little problem with taking out a few Shinobi, he knew that raising alarms would only make their job more difficult when they got down to it.

Deidara shook his head in response, before raising his hands to his mouth. "THERE'S NO ONE DOWN THERE, YEAH?" he yelled, startling both Naruto and Gaara behind them. He then looked back at their affronted faces, before cracking up with laughter. "Ha ha ha, with the Gobi Jinchuriki down there the Tsuchikage wouldn't spare many Shinobi. We'll only have problems if we start wrecking the place, or if someone recognises me, hm."

Naruto let himself hang over again, he really couldn't handle Deidara's nature all that well. He was like an overly eccentric Utakata, even if he was a lot more experienced. Naruto couldn't tell if it was the situation, or just something that came with being around Deidara, but the ex-Iwa-nin seemed kind of like he was letting loose.

They descended down to the broad gate down below, a rusted wall of metal standing on a pair of old looking wheels. There was a guard post there, but like Deidara said there were no sentries in sight. As such they were able to get there without interruption, Naruto and Gaara glad to be in the shade of the iron barrier. Faint streams of sunlight pierced through rusted holes, but that was the most that got through to them.

"_Man…"_ Naruto thought, as he let himself fall flat on his rear, with Eko falling beside him. He lifted his head back as he took in the cooler air, though it was still stuffy at least it wasn't burning hot. Nonetheless, his stamina had taken a pretty heavy hit. _"Next time… next time Yagura and Utakata can do this."_

"C'mon, we've barely started." Deidara said, looking over his shoulder as he placed his hands upon the old metal gate. Then with a hard push and a grunt of effort, the gate groaned along as it was moved aside. After a few moments, there was an opening big enough for the three of them to walk through. Reluctantly, Naruto got back to his feet and put Eko back in place, before following Deidara and Gaara out of the shade and into the village.

It was surprising to see, but Naruto and Gaara were soon to find that the sun wasn't so much of a problem here. Just a few dozen yard walking returned them to the shadows once more as the stalagmite buildings eclipsed the blazing orb from view. That made the place even more impressive; the buildings were much large than Naruto had anticipated. And from what he could see, it was rightly so.

Up there on the walkways and inside the buildings, many numbers of people were moving in different directions, only a few of which investigated the strangers to their home. Deidara stepped before the two genuine strangers, looking up at the buildings with an expression half of nostalgia and half something less pleasant.

"Alright then, this is where things get tough." he said, turning on the spot to face Naruto and Gaara. It looked like he was now adopting a more official stature than what he had had when he was yelling at the top of his voice. "What we need is to draw out the Shinobi battalions, but we can't afford unnecessary casualties. So we'll do it like this; one of you will make an attack on the aviary to make sure no message gets out. Meanwhile, I'll create enough of a commotion to bring the Shinobi, and maybe even the person we're looking for, out in the open. While that's happening, whoever's left will be in charge of picking the enemy off. But if the Jinchuriki is a no show, we'll need one alive to interrogate."

He finished his explanation, leaving Naruto and Gaara to take it in. It seemed like a fairly simple plan, even Naruto had little trouble understanding it. He gave a broad grin, and tapped Gaara on the shoulder before moving towards Deidara. "I call the picking off and stuff!" he said, before blinking in surprise. Much in contrast to his expectation, Gaara had grabbed his wrist and pulled Naruto back. The two stared at each other for five full seconds, before Naruto's face drooped with disappointment. "Really?"

Gaara gave a nod of reply, before releasing his grip on Naruto. Deidara watched the two curiously as the other blond sighed, before he and Gaara raised their hands. Slowly, gradually, a globule of incredulous sweat gathered on Deidara's brow as the two boys began to play a game of janken. He could hardly believe his eyes, but as the two began pumping fists to each other, his doubt steadily decreased.

"Jan…" Naruto said, providing unneeded sound effect to an already embarrassing display. However apparently only one of the three people present seemed to think such a thing, and Gaara was being dead silent. "Ken… Pon!"

The two hands flicked to their positions, and for the first time Deidara was able to realise there truly was some skill behind that worthless game. Both boys had begun to display their choices, but in a fraction of a moment they feigned, switching their results in a way of common trickery. It seemed that in this case, Gaara's eye and hand was quicker. His scissors beat Naruto's paper.

"Aaah!" Naruto exclaimed, his hands gripping his hair as he turned on the spot. He seemed more than a little disappointed in his loss, and had half a mind to request best two out of three. But he knew well that Gaara wouldn't go for that, and the rules stated that the outcome had already been decided. Reluctantly, he let out a sigh, before looking at Deidara. "Which way to the aviary?"

* * *

Utakata sat by the window of the room he was using, the one previously belonging to Momochi Zabuza's partner Haku. He had pulled up a chair and was sitting by the window, but he was by no means admiring the view. Down on the window sill waiting patiently was a carrier pigeon, one that had been called by special means. It looked up at Utakata as it awaited its command, but the wounded boy seemed hesitant. He looked to the small scroll in his hand, though he had written out the contents he was still uncertain about going through with his plan.

He turned his eyes down to the ground outside, leaning on the sill as he listened to the sound of grunting. Far below, Yagura was having a sparring match with Fuu to determine her capabilities. Ever since returning from last night's mission Yagura had been in a serious mood, but his uncertainty was clear. Despite his attempt at interrogation he had failed to get anything out of Utakata about the events that transpired during the climax of their mission.

It seemed Yagura was taking some of his frustration out on Fuu down there, disguising it behind training. Fortunately however close combat wasn't Yagura's greatest strength, Fuu was just able to keep up with him. She ducked under his kicks and knocked his punches aside, yet to take a serious punch, but also yet to be dealt one. Angry though he may have been, Yagura was keeping himself as restrained as he could for the sake of the others.

Fuu dropped to the ground and threw her leg out, hoping to catch Yagura off guard and knock him to the ground. It failed however as he hopped over it, resulting in Fuu's rolling back to avoid possible counterattack. Though her movements were sharp and fast, she lacked the consistency to take advantage of the situation. It seemed like Utakata, she was the type that preferred not to get noticed in battle.

Yet there she was, doing her best to get stronger so that she could be of more use. Though the match was a means of Yagura evaluating her, it had been Fuu who requested it be done. She had said that she wanted to be more dependable, and Yagura had been far from against the idea. And in any case, after the commotion caused in Nami yesterday it seemed best to lay low. Hence the reason they were doing such a thing now, rather than looking for more work. Though they had been paid, Yagura had been hoping to get a streak of jobs. That hope had been dashed however, another factor to add to his intensity.

"_Niisan is trying his best to keep things together."_ Utakata thought, watching Yagura with a calm expression. He then turned his eyes to Fuu, seeing the sweat shining off her bare skin as she threw in more effort than she ever had in her life. _"And Fuu-chan is doing whatever she can to be of use…"_. He dropped his eyes down to the pigeon, before slowly coming to his decision. He took the bird and tied the scroll to its legs, before lifting it to the air. With a wave of his hand, he sent the bird on its way, the small creature flapping its wings frantically as it made its way to the tips of the trees.

Yagura turned his eyes up, watching the source of the sound that had caught his attention. He hadn't a clue as to who Utakata was contacting with that bird, and so far his friend had been unwilling to disclose a reason to anything that had happened lately. It made him a little angry that the person who called him brother was acting so mysterious, it was almost like he was being made fun of. He lowered his eyes as Fuu came at him again, throwing her leg in the air as she tried to catch him off guard. With little to no effort, he ducked under her shin and shot his hand up, pushing her leg up and forcing her to fly to the ground.

"Ow…" Fuu moaned quietly, as she pushed herself to a half reclined position. She rubbed her aching rear, wincing from the pain of hitting a root full on with her bottom. She looked up at Yagura with a pout, childishly blaming him for her pain. Her look soon disappeared however as Yagura bent over and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Eep!" she squeaked, surprise causing her cheeks to redden a little.

"From what I understand, that kekkei genkai of yours needs physical contact to work right?" Yagura asked, taking no notice of her look before or after helping her up. He waited as Fuu nodded in reply, but she seemed to be suddenly shy and unwilling to talk. "That's fine if your opponent doesn't detect you, but if you're taking on a mid to long range fighter, you'll need a lot more than that."

"W-what do you mean?" Fuu asked, as Yagura stepped around her. She watched as he looked off into the woods for a while, seeming to become lost in his thoughts. That troubled her a little, she didn't really know Yagura to go off on a tangent like that. "Um… Yagura-kun?"

Yagura turned his eyes over his shoulder, fixing his cold stare upon Fuu's face. She nearly shivered from that look, it felt like he was looking at a complete stranger right now. "You're weak." he said, not bothering to sweeten his words. Fuu blinked from his statement, her expression blank. Though having Yagura say that didn't really surprise her, the _way_ he said it made her stop in her tracks. "Outside your kekkei genkai you have no offensive ability, no defensive and can only hide underground. Those skills are fine if you're fighting with a team, but when you're on your own you need to rely on your own strength."

He turned his head back to the woods ahead of him, looking away from Fuu so not to break his own train of thought. His brow creased seriously though, he didn't want his words to be taken lightly. "I don't know why it is we're being brought together, but I doubt it's for fun and games." he said, speaking the thoughts that had gone through his mind on many an occasion. "But from what I _do_ understand, Naruto and Gaara came to get us because they need our help for something. Since they got me out of Kiri, I owe them my assistance. It's because of that that I have to say this… you're a burden."

He took a pause there, knowing that those words would probably have hit hard. He listened for any signs of Fuu's reaction, but he didn't hear so much as a gasp or a sigh from her. He let out a long drawn exhale from that; he didn't really know how to interpret the silence. "We got you out of there to help us, so we can't afford to be watching over you every step of the way." he said, his voice taking a softer tone as he tried to make what he said easier. "You can't rely on us all the time, you need to be able to look after yourself."

Waiting again for a response, Yagura began to feel that maybe he had gone a little too far. When there was nothing but silence behind him, that idea became more solidified. Cautiously, he turned his head back to look at Fuu, only to find to his surprise that she had disappeared. Frowning in confusion, Yagura looked around to see where she went. But she was nowhere around, the only person in his range of vision was Utakata. He settled his eyes on that person, hoping for some light to be shed on the location of the missing Fuu.

Utakata stared down at him, giving an overdramatic thumbs up. However, the older boy coupled that gesture with a look so cold it made Yagura freeze, unable to say or do anything as Utakata disappeared back inside. Yagura was then left alone in the wilderness, his hands closing into fists and his jaw tightening. "Damn it." he murmured, gritting his teeth angrily. It looked like he really had gone too far after all.

* * *

If only Gaara had had the slightest inclination as to what Deidara had meant by "commotion", maybe he would have better been able to anticipate how to deal with the situation. His first thoughts of the former Iwa Shinobi had been that he seemed rather professional, if not a little over involved in his work. It was because of that that Gaara had been completely surprised by what he saw.

He stood one a place that connected two spire-like buildings, roughly a hundred feet off the ground. From the looks of things, he wasn't the only one hiding in the shadows due to what was going on. All over the place, people had been confined inside the buildings not due to martial law, but because Deidara had destroyed the bridges connecting the buildings.

All around the place explosions could be heard as the artist of Akatsuki swooped by in a clay hawk, dropping his sculptures on the wooden and stone crossings. Gaara watched as he flew by, studying the excited grin on Deidara's face with discomfort. _"Not even Naruto would-"_ he began, before closing his eyes and bowing his head. _"No, this is just like something he would do as well."_

Despite the starkness of Deidara's plan however, Gaara had to admit it was an effective one. With the bridges taken out, there was only one kind of person who could move freely here. And with the amount of noise being created, those people should be springing into action at any moment now. It was with those thoughts that Gaara straightened up, turned around, and leapt up to the openings of the buildings.

People jumped in fright as he suddenly appeared, this strangely athletic stranger in their midst. In moments the entire crowd's attention was drawn on him, not a single face showing calm or relief. The reason was obvious of course, aside from the fact that there was a bomber outside who had trapped them all, they had no way of knowing who Gaara was either.

"All of you head further inside." Gaara instructed, moving his eyes over the mass of people. They were all hesitant, their worry only increasing as the danger of the situation grew. Gaara recognised this and decided to speak ambiguously, hoping for quick results. "This situation will be dealt with, but your safety is a priority. Please all of you head to the lower levels so we can focus on the enemy."

All over the place people exchanged looks, they seemed to be trusting Gaara. They all turned to the doors in the hallway and quickly headed in, the masses becoming a rush as the explosions drew nearer. Gaara turned around once certain that they were doing as told; now he could focus on the enemy without the civilians getting in the way. He raised his hands and put them through a series of seals, before placing his fore and middle finger over his closed right eye.

In his other hand there gathered a small whirl of sand, compacting together into a small sphere. The colour of the sand faded and darkened slightly as it took on the form of an eye; the sclera staying the same while the iris and pupil darkened respectively. Once it was completely formed, Gaara crushed it in his hand and scattered the sand in every direction.

* * *

Naruto jumped from wall to wall as he followed the directions Deidara had given him. He moved quickly in the hope that if he finished up before things were over, he could go to the place Gaara was and at least help out. It was bad enough that this place apparently held very few Shinobi, it didn't seem he was going to be able to let loose at all here.

He found one of the taller buildings in the area and ascended to the top of it, hoping to get a better view of the area from up there. He stood on the tip and crouched low as he scanned the area, before finding a building which seemed to fit Deidara's rough description. It was a tall cylindrical building holding what basically seemed like a large wooden hutch at the top. A balcony extended full circle around it with posts acting as perches for the birds that came and went.

Naruto flinched as he heard a noise somewhere to his right; an explosion far in the distance. As predicted, a pair of Shinobi rushed out from the aviary and lent on the fence as they looked over to the place the noise had come from. They saw the smoke and immediately set to action, hurrying back inside.

"_Shit!" _Naruto thought, bounding off the building towards the aviary. Deidara had overestimated the time it would take Naruto to do this and had started early. If Naruto didn't act fast, these guys could call for backup. Even if Iwa was a distance away, they couldn't afford to chance that there was another outpost near enough to cause problems.

Taking Eko in hand and placing the fingers of his other in his mouth, Naruto let out a shrill whistle. As commanded, Akira, Hotei and Daisuke leapt up from the lower reaches and landed on the balcony of the aviary. They each stared inside and bared their fangs, letting out a low growl that scared the birds into staying inside. That offered help there, but the Shinobi inside were now alert to the situation. They were acting faster, one preparing a bird while the other took an explosive tag from his pouch.

"_Hurry!"_ Naruto thought, as he came to a rapid stop on the walls of one of the buildings. He took Eko with one hand on the hilt and the other on the flat of the blade, pointing the tip towards the tag wielding Shinobi. With a burst of chakra from him, and Eko doing the rest of the work, he fired a small dart of Fuuton chakra at the guard. Silently praying for the attack to work, Naruto began running once more. He watched as the ripple of air shot through the wall of the aviary, just enough to pierce and go through. Unfortunately however, the guard had moved before he could be hit, and had now placed his tag upon the aviary wall. _"Shit!"_

Barely a moment later there came a small explosion that blew part of the aviary wall off. Not even Akira could have kept himself there, he jumped back from shock. The other Shinobi used this moment to throw the eagle on his arm out, sending it on its way.

There wasn't much other choice in this situation, Naruto placed his fingers in his lips and whistled again. From the shadows of the building appeared Shinmaru, Kunimei and Koyane, the three of them leaping up after the eagle. Of course, none of them could dream of catching the bird, but what they managed was just as useful. Naruto reached just behind them and leapt into the air, using the three dogs as places to jump off. Soon he was high in the air, almost upon the flitting eagle. With a burst of chakra, he used the Fuuton: Reppusho to knock the bird out of the sky, forcing it to fall down below.

_FRWHIT!_

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as something darted past him at an indomitable speed. At first he had thought it a kunai, but when the thing spread its wings and flapped hard, it became clear that it wasn't. It was a peregrine falcon; one of the fastest birds alive. Naruto knew there was no chance that he could catch up to it, and so tried the only possible trick he had. Taking Eko across hi shoulder, he pumped Fuuton chakra into it and swung hard. The blade of wind formed shot out to the falcon, large and threatening. But as his expectations were, not even that could catch up.

"_Damn it!"_ he thought, as the small bird disappeared into the distance. He landed on the rooftop with a shocked look, his failure apparent right at that moment. Iwa was going to know; their time had just been cut short.


	37. Those unspoken words

I wanted to do more with this, but I'm being pushed for time as it is. Hopefully this will ne enjoyable though, there are some things in here I didn't consider before. I know this isn't the first time I've said that, only some of this story is planned. Anyway, I also have to get started on the next chapter to day if I want to get back on schedule, so I'm gonna get to that.

Disclaimer: Anyone else kinda hoping Kirabi was literal with his final words in chapter 495?

* * *

**Those unspoken words**

The third Shinobi team reached the point of conflict, where the explosions could still be heard ringing out. They had split up in several directions to confuse the enemy, of whom they still had no idea of number or strength. One Shinobi in particular leapt down into the narrow gaps between the buildings, looking up as he caught the faint light of an explosion somewhere around the corner. He studied the size of the blast, it wasn't the sort created by explosive tags.

"Katashi here, approaching enemy from the south side." he called, his voice muffled slightly by the bandages wrapped around his entire head. He crouched low as he listened out for any other sounds, only a thin strip allowing his eyes and ears access to the world around him. He caught nothing however; it seemed the enemy was moving away from him. "Moving forward to-"

His words were cut short as something close by drew his attention. He felt something gripping his leg, something rough and warm. Looking down, he realised both his legs were in the grasp of what seemed to be a tendril of sand. His eyes widened as the sand suddenly pulled at him, dragging him off into the shadows.

"Oof!" he gasped, as he was thrown against the stone wall. His transceiver fell from his ear and hit the ground, where it was subsequently stepped on by someone approaching from the darkness. Katashi narrowed his eyes at the red haired stranger who came close to him, the pair looking with cold eyes. Before Katashi could do anything, his arms were bound to either side of the wall by the sand, he was completely defenceless.

"Where is the Gobi Jinchuriki?" asked the stranger, cutting straight to the point with his harsh voice. His pupiless eyes met the irisless ones of the Iwa nin, waiting for the slightest hint of truth or dishonesty. However what he received was something else altogether; a sneer of anger came from Katashi's face.

"You mean Han, right?" he replied, giving the stranger a superior look. The stranger seemed to think nothing of this look however, but that didn't deter Katashi. "So you come attacking this place for that guy then? Guess he's even more trouble than we thought."

"That isn't what I asked." the stranger said, his left hand tightening into a clawed shape. Katashi winced in pain as his bonds tightened; his hands and feet would go numb if this continued for much longer. "What I need is whatever you can tell me about the Jinchuriki; his name, his ability and his location."

Katashi lost his arrogance as he realised how this situation would go. He gave the stranger a dark look as he opened his mouth wide, forcing his bandages apart so that his lips were now visible. "And what if I tell you huh?" he asked, his lips peeling back as he bared his teeth. "I tell you what you want to hear, you kill me then be on your way? Well FUCK YOU!"

He then spat at the stranger, his saliva flying at the face of the stoic boy. The gesture made no impact however, more sand got in the way, creating a small wall between the faces of the two. Katashi watched with a glare as the sand slowly crumbled away, his expression fading as he realised there was something wrong with the strangers eyes; they had completely changed colour.

* * *

The aviary lay in ruins, the two Shinobi dead and the birds terrified into flying away without a given direction. By this point it didn't really matter where they went; Naruto and the others were going to have company soon enough. To that end, Naruto and the dogs rushed towards the place Deidara and Gaara was. They weren't using transceivers at this time, so he had no choice but to meet with them in person.

He could see the destruction Deidara had caused just by his passing through. Bridges made of both wood and stone had collapsed, and segments of buildings were now missing. Smoke rose from craters and rubble crumbled down into the chasms below, it really did look like a war zone out here.

"_He wasn't kidding when he said he was gonna create a commotion."_ Naruto thought, as he landed on a wall and bounded straight back off. He could see the people inside the buildings running around in a panic, trying to find the quickest and safest route from wherever they were. Of course, their progress was hindered as they froze in shock from the size of the giant canines passing by; their understanding of this conflict was steadily decreasing. _"Why do I get the feeling there was a quieter way to do this?"_

In the end however he didn't continue that train of thought. There was too much going on around to think of the things they could have or should have done. He caught his first sign of enemy Shinobi; there was a pair of them running ahead with their back to him. Naruto made to grab Eko, but after a moment's consideration decided against it; he needed to find something out about the Gobi, killing these guys right away would be a waste.

He hit the angled rooftop of one of the shorter buildings hard, using the gathered force to make a greater jump _over_ the two Shinobi. He whirled around in the air and channelled Fuuton chakra into his hands, preparing to knock them down before doing anything else. Unfortunately however, his damn shadow gave him away, and alerted the two Shinobi below.

"IDENTIFY YOURSELF!" ordered one of them, while whipping out a scroll from his pouch. His partner bought him some time by assaulting Naruto with several shuriken. Naruto was forced to expend his gathered chakra to move out of the way, using his Fuuton: Reppusho to knock himself off course.

The first Shinobi bit into his thumb and ran it across the spread open scroll. Then taking the thick part in both hands, he began spinning on the spot with his arms outstretched. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" he called, putting great effort into his spins. Smoke burst from the whirling scroll and from it, several dark things flew out at high speeds. The dark things struck the surrounding walls hard, causing dust and debris to fall down below. Naruto landed on one of the roof of one of the still-intact walkways connecting the buildings, looking up at the clouds of dust as they settled away.

Many strange creatures clung to the walls, unlike anything Naruto had ever seen before. They looked like pale apes, their greyed fur marked with tints of a mouldy green. The beasts held onto the stone by long, hooked claws, hanging limply as they looked down at Naruto. There were about seven of them, each with flat looking faces wearing listless expressions. For some reason, despite the way they looked they failed to give off the slightest sign of a threatening aura. But still they surrounded Naruto on either side of the bridge, blocking his path in either direction.

"Ninpou: Hyorogan Salvo!" called the second Shinobi suddenly, clasping his hands before his mouth. He then threw them out in two directions, sending out several globules of something dark. Those objects splattered onto the walls nearby the strange creatures, sticking fast and catching their attention. Naruto, keeping an eye on the Shinobi, also watched the creatures warily. The beasts idly reached out fro the globules, scooping them up in their claws and slipping them into their mouths. They crunched slowly, their attention returning to Naruto. Then, simultaneously, they let go of the walls.

Naruto shook in shock as the beasts hit the bridge, cracking the stone with their sheer weight. Instinctively he grabbed hold of Eko, though he wondered if there was any point to it with creatures this bulky. Instead he turned his attention to the two Shinobi, who were already well into their next move. They darted up onto the bridge with him, taking positions on either side.

"Beast Art: Sloth Reversion Technique!" called the one responsible for summoning the creatures. The apparent "sloth" that lay just behind him reacted to his ram seal, hastily dragging itself over and onto the Shinobi's back before clinging on tight.

Naruto looked between him and the other Shinobi, who was running his hands through a series of seals. Unwilling to let this go on any further, it was this person Naruto decided to attack. He dashed towards him and pulled out the Ekokaeten, before swinging hard and fast. The giant blade whistled through the air towards the Shinobi, who saw the blade yet made no move to stop what he was doing.

_SHLIKT!_

Naruto stared in shock as the gap between the Shinobi and Eko was suddenly filled by one of the sloths. The large creature stood on its hind legs, gripping Eko between the claws on its arms and holding the blade in place. Though it had suddenly appeared from nowhere, it slowly drifted its head to look at Naruto again, it's dumb looking face meeting Naruto's stunned eyes.

"Doton: Earth Corridor Jutsu!" called the second Shinobi, planting both his hands on the ground. Naruto tensed as the entire bridge shook, threatening to collapse. But before he knew it, two large stone walls erupted from the floor to either side, closing the ten beings inside a tall and dark hallway. Naruto struggled with the sloth gripping onto Eko, but its grip was like a vice. In the end he was forced to release the blade and dart off, taking to the walls were he could face all the enemies.

To his surprise however he was disallowed the opportunity to do even that. The moment he turned around his view was filled with that of one of the sloths, who was swinging its claw around to slash at Naruto's chest. The blond boy was just able to jump back, his skin barely missing a long and bloody gash.

He landed on the top of the corridor, crouched down as he looked at the group down below. _"Man, I'm wasting time here."_ he thought, conveniently forgetting that he was the one who started this fight. His first thoughts came to just running off, maybe collapsing the walls to crush the enemy in the process. But he soon pushed that idea aside; Eko was still down there, lying uselessly on the ground. _"These things are fast, can I summon him and escape at the same time?"_

That question was answered for him however, with a negative reply. Two of the sloths appeared to either side of him, each coming to a sudden stop once they reached the peak of the corridor. Naruto looked between them, why were they stopping like that? Whatever the reason, he needed to get out of this situation fast. And so, with a quick breath, he hopped down into the darkness and brought his hands together in the cross seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried.

* * *

Yagura stepped slowly through the quiet forest, his eyes and ears pretty much shut off as he wandered almost aimlessly through. He had a distant look about him, but there were few thoughts going through his head at that time. All he really noticed was the softness of the earth and the cool damp feeling of the trees as he absent mindedly touched them. He didn't really know where he was going; he just hoped it was the right direction.

He came around the base of a particularly large tree, pausing for a moment with his hand pressed against the bark. He could see not too far away the familiar form of a tan skinned girl, sitting hunched over on a fallen log. He looked at her bowed head and slumped shoulders. Though she didn't seem her best she at least seemed to be in a stable mood. Uncertainly, and carefully, Yagura stepped out from behind the tree and quietly headed towards her.

She seemed to notice his presence; the faint sound of his footsteps on the moist earth gave him away. But whether she knew if it was actually him or someone else, Yagura didn't know. All he could say for certain was that the way she was acting was far from what he had expected of her; he didn't know what she was going to do.

He reached the log that she had sat herself upon and came to a stop, looking down at her pale green hair with a half sorry half wary look. In truth he wasn't sure what he was doing here, what he _could_ do. He wasn't the sort to console people with words, nor was he the kind of person to apologise. But here he was, in a situation completely alien to him. There was no turning back now.

Turning on the spot, he quietly lowered himself onto the log, sitting right behind Fuu. He rested his arms on his knees and leant forward, feeling far from comfortable as he was. It felt like everything he did here only implicated him more, his desire to leave was ever growing. But Fuu was waiting for him; he _had_ to say something now.

"Hey… I-" he began, before faltering mid sentence. He really wished that he had left this to Utakata; he knew better how to comfort people than he did. Yagura hung his head as he tried to collect his thoughts, wondering if Fuu was planning on running off again. It was that idea that solidified him, making him more certain that he needed to do something at least. "So… uh… are you… ever gonna give me back my muffler?"

He flinched the moment he finished that question, knowing he'd just said something stupid. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder, and was fairly certain that Fuu was growing hotter and hotter. He misguidedly mistook that for anger, and quickly came out with what he was trying to say. "I'm… I'm sorry about back there." he muttered, letting his head hang again. Though it was a fairly simple thing to say, he could feel himself growing quite hot too. "It was wrong of me to expect- to _ask_ so much of you."

A pair of birds flitted through the trees, chirping to each other as they flew by. The two of them filled the silence created by Yagura's words; Fuu was yet to say anything in reply. Letting out another sigh, Yagura figured he should continue. "… I'm… gonna be honest here." he said, in a quiet voice. "When I went with Utakata, Gaara and Naruto to Taki, my only thoughts were convincing the Nanabi Jinchuriki to betray the village that person belonged to. So I had prepared myself to do or say whatever it took to do that… so I'm sorry."

Fuu turned her head ever so slightly, Yagura's words taking her by surprise. Her hands tightened on her knees, she was steadily feeling worse about her own situation. Whether Yagura was aware of that or not, he continued on regardless.

"For the past… I don't know how long, I've been the Mizukage of Kirigakure." he said, a small smirk appearing on his lips. "But I don't know anything about that. I was under a Genjutsu the whole time, the only memories I have are about Utakata, my training, and the way the village treated me. Those are all I have, so I understand that life must have been hard. However Taki treated you… I only have an idea."

He fell silent again, but this time he wasn't waiting for a reply. He bowed his head further, shame filling his face as his hair hung down either side. "I was the one who said that no one can take our freedom…" he whispered, staring blankly at the dirt between his feet. "But here I am doing the same thing as Kiri; forcing you to become a weapon for some cause I don't even know about!"

He ended his words with a grit to his teeth, his hands clenched into fists. Fuu looked over her shoulder to him, a sad but worried look on her face. She turned her eyes back to the woods ahead, unsure of what she should say. But in the end, she just decided to go with the flow, and say the first things that came to her mind.

"Back when I was younger, all the other children would call me "Nanabi"." she said, in a soft, pensive voice. "Their parents would call me it too, the store owners, even my cousins. It was a funny nickname, Nanabi… I couldn't really understand it. My mother and father were the only ones who never called me it… but then they never really called me anything.

"Then when I became a Genin, my mother suggested I find a place of my own. My dad had already packed my things away. They both gave me some money for rent, and closed the door before I was even in the street."

Yagura looked over his shoulder; this was the second time Fuu spoke about her past. But unlike before, she had a more sombre tone to her, more forlorn. He almost flinched as she pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tight. "I hate that place…" she whispered, her voice quivering faintly.

This time Yagura really did flinch, his eyes widening and his lips parting. But this expression was only fleeting, soon replaced with a grimace of anger as he turned his attention to the front again. He tried to contain himself, but soon failed, slipping onto his hands and knees as he punched the ground. "DAMN IT!" he yelled, startling Fuu into whipping around. He pummelled the ground again and again, his anger only growing with the pain in his fist. This went on about four more times, ending with him gripping the earth hard, his teeth bared and his eyes glaring. "I'm… the same! I did that! Am I just like them, those judgemental bastards?"

Fuu stared at him in shock; she had never seen him so angry before. She watched as he stayed still like that for several moments, before slowly pushing himself up to his feet. However, even when he had straightened up, Fuu couldn't help but see the despair and self loathing inside of him, how small his back looked right now.

"Fuu… I really am sorry." he said, in a quiet voice. He blinked a couple of times, but found himself unable to focus on the here and now. He took a few limp steps forward, his hands clenching and unclenching as he once more found himself unsure of what to do. "I asked you if it'd be so bad to leave Taki… but I'm keeping you from being happy here, aren't I?"

He had begun to turn around as he said that, wanting a response from Fuu to solidify his thoughts. It was for that reason he was shocked when instead of words of confirmation, Fuu threw her arms around him. He took a step back in surprise, but she was holding on tight, her head buried in his stomach.

"I'm happy!" she exclaimed, her voice loud but unsteady. Her eyes were shut tight and her face was flushed, but she refused to let go of her grip to Yagura. Though she wasn't sure she could feel more embarrassed than she did now, she knew she needed to speak fast to keep Yagura from getting the wrong idea. "I'm grateful to you, to everybody! I don't feel lonely anymore!"

Yagura had been shocked by her sudden hug, her words had nearly put him over the edge. He was filled with a sense of embarrassment; trying to distract himself with the fact that though Fuu's head was in his stomach, she was also on her knees. But he shook his head, his own lacking height was far from the issue at hand. "Fuu, I-" he began, before coming to a sudden stop. He could see her shaking lightly, faint tears brimming in her squeezed shut eyes. This was as difficult for her as it was for him it seemed. However, he noticed that his anger had faded, and was replaced by another feeling altogether. He lifted his hand and placed it on her head, a small smile appearing on his face. "Sorry."

_

* * *

_

THROOM!

Wreckage flew everywhere in a storm of dust as Naruto leapt out of the stone corridor, facing the enemy with Eko in hand. The rock walls crumbled apart, shining light on the sloths and Shinobi who made to follow him. The two Shinobi, and sloth clinging to the first Shinobi's back, followed him into the air while the other beasts darted across the walls.

They each had irregular movements, disappearing one place and reappearing in another, before moving again. Each time they stopped, they would cast a look at Naruto right before moving again. Neither Naruto nor Eko could find a reason for this, but it was getting to be pretty worrisome.

"_You're just as bad as Kisame no Danna, you know that?"_

"Shut up, I'm trying to think!" Naruto yelled back, as he landed on the wall of a building at the end of the street. Though the sloths were taking their time to get over, the two Shinobi were already on top of him. The one carrying the sloth was weighed down a little, landing several feet below Naruto. But he wasted no time in charging straight up, the animal on his back slashing out for the blond boy with his claws.

"_These things are fast, so why's this one being given a lift?" _Naruto thought, as he defended against the slash with Eko. Knowing that the blade would be difficult to use in this situation, he jumped off the building and threw Eko hard, embedding him into the wall of another structure. He then landed on a building on the opposite side of the street, facing all of his opponents once more. _"Guess I'm gonna be late… let's see what they can do."_

Readying himself for a fight, Naruto raised his hands in a basic Taijutsu stance. He wore a slight smirk of anticipation; now that he had accepted this battle it was easier to slip into it. Now that he was in the mood, he had no desire to wait any longer. And so with no more hesitation, he sprung from the spot he stood and dashed at the enemy.

The sloths were first to intercept him, their unusual speed leading them to close the distance in no time. They seemed to continue their irregular movement pattern however; Naruto had little trouble evading their swipes and slashes while dealing some of his own. He hopped around them and threw his open hand out, striking them with the side of his palm and slicing with Fuuton chakra. However he found that their fur was surprisingly thick, all he really seemed to be doing was giving them a light trim.

But then one made an attack at him, bringing its claws down hard. Naruto reacted quickly and grabbed the claws before they could connect, gripping them and using his Fuuton: Wind Palm. Like expected, he felt the claws shatter in his hands, startling the sloth as its arm came loose. It hit the wall lightly as it tried to cling on, apparently it wasn't the most intelligent of beasts. Fortunately it told Naruto a lot; now he was ready to act.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called, with his hands held in the cross seal. Behind him, five copies flickered into existence, as combat ready as he was. The six Naruto's split off in separate directions, four headed to distract the sloths while two moved to the Shinobi. The real Naruto met the Shinobi with the sloth on his back midway, ducking under the attacks of the sloth and the kunai wielding ninja as he aimed to make some of his own.

It was unfortunate though that this Shinobi was quite proficient with his close combat, able to block attacks while his partner used its long reach to dice the enemy apart. This wasn't enough to stop Naruto however; he just needed a moment's preparation first. And so he clung to the wall, swiping at the Shinobi's legs. As expected, the ninja pushed himself back to avoid the attack.

That was the opening Naruto needed, now the game was set and match. He let himself drop off the wall and fall down below, allowing gravity to take care of him. The Shinobi was quick to follow, running down after Naruto while staying wary to trickery. It was to that end that he acted carefully when Naruto released another blast of wind, knocking himself into one of the openings in the stone wall. Instead of following him straight in, he came to a stop just a floor above, perching on the sill of the window there as he waited cautiously.

"Aaah-eeeh!" the sloth groaned, lightly hitting the Shinobi with its arm. The Shinobi batted the beast away; the Hyorogan tended to make them a little antsy. However, hen the sloth persisted, he too became uncertain, he looked back to the animal on his back with a frown, realising only too late the sloth's cause for concern. Most probably, it was the giant pair of jaws bearing down on them.


	38. A fallen barrier

Just when I was sure I was back on track, I sleep in til 1pm. Well, that's plenty of time to get to work on the next chapter, so I suppose I'm officially back to form with my "update first thing" deal... well, ALMOST anyway. Man, complication after complication, I've been giving these chapters the same name for about three chapters now, onbly to change them when I realise the events I was looking to reach aren't quite here yet.

Disclaimer: Come on Naruto... please fight Kyubi head on! You took on the Ichibi, you can take on him! ... Pretty please?

**

* * *

**

A fallen barrier

Yagura and Fuu slowly made their way back to the base, taking their time as they passed through the wilderness. They had both been silent since they turned around, but to Yagura's surprise Fuu seemed to be in a pretty good mood. In spite of all that had happened in the past half hour she was smiling to herself, looking out among the trees with a serenity that few had after opening up like she did.

Yagura on the other hand felt a lot of guilt; guilt at what he'd said and done to Fuu, guilt to his own hypocrisy and worst of all, guilt to the thoughts he had had before realising he was wrong. If he compared how he felt to how Fuu looked, he would feel almost certain that they were from different situations. He wished he could feel as light hearted as she appeared to be, but in truth his heart felt heaviest of all.

However, a few moments later that thought was contradicted as Fuu gained a troubled expression. She looked for a second almost like she had lost something, raising her hand to her lip worriedly. But then she looked over to Yagura, and the cause for her anxiety became clear. "Hey um, I just realised something." she said, her voice small but clear. "I never asked you permission, did I? To call you Yagura-kun I mean."

Yagura blinked in surprise; he hadn't been expecting such an ordinary thing to be the source of her concern. "Well actually, that _has_ been troubling me a little." he said, closing his eyes and rubbing the back of his head. Fuu let out a tiny gasp of shock, thinking the worst of the situation. Yagura opened a single eye, looking over to her from its corner. "I mean, we live in the same house and all, so why not just call me Yagura?"

"Eep!" Fuu squeaked, her face flushing in surprise. Yagura noticed her reaction and raised his brow, wondering if that really was as big a problem as her expression suggested it was. Nervously, Fuu lowered her hand from her mouth and gripped her other in front of her. She seemed embarrassed for some reason, but not resistant. "Is that really ok?" she asked, before deciding to try it out. "Ya… gura… KUN?"

She flinched at that last part, closing her eyes tight and recoiling like she'd been shocked. Yagura dropped his hand and smiled weakly at her, quietly taken aback by her eccentricity. "Hey, you don't have to push it." he said, trying to compensate for his earlier attitude by being nice. "Call me what you want, it doesn't matter much to me."

"Um… I… ok!" Fuu said positively, giving a sharp nod of her head. Though her embarrassment still seemed very much present, she also seemed more confident from Yagura's words. After a moment's hesitation, she hurried in front of him and turned around, trying to give him her best determined look. "Then… can you show me how to get stronger?" she asked, fixing her both positive but uncertain eyes upon Yagura's.

Yagura, who had stopped when she ran in front of him, raised his brows in surprise. It seemed there was no end to how quickly Fuu's mood would change; a quality that he couldn't help but wonder if it would become bothersome. Still, after what had just happened he knew he had no right to deny her. "Uh… are you sure you want _me_ to train you?" he asked, finding that his own confidence had taken a sudden decline. "I'm pretty sure Utakata would be better suited for someone with your style."

Fuu shook her head rapidly from side to side, her hair flailing madly as she did so. Her expression grew more serious, but considering it was Fuu she failed to look like more than a temperamental child. "I want to be able to look after myself, so that I can always be helpful!" she declared, her hands clenching into fists as she got herself pumped up. "But not just that, I don't want everyone to worry about me!"

She stared hard at Yagura, who had to admire her resolve if nothing else. He scratched the back of his neck and glanced down to the ground; accepting that nothing he could say would change Fuu's mind. "Alright then, I guess I'll do what I can." he said, rolling his stiff neck as he prepared himself for what would be coming. "But I gotta warn you; I can't use Doton chakra. Same with Fuuton. I'm a Suiton specialist, but I know some Katon and Raiton. So for that area, we may need to find someone who knows about it."

"Oh… ok!" Fuu replied, nodding vigorously. She was only slightly put off by that prospect; much of her previous training had gone to nature manipulation. Though now that she thought about it, she was probably given that tough training so that she could be kept out of the way. But she wasn't going to let herself be discouraged by that, there was a lot more she could learn in place of that. "Then what'll we start with?"

"That's the question." Yagura muttered, turning to his right and leaning on a nearby tree. He folded his arms and closed his eyes as he thought about it, before looking sharply at Fuu with a frown. "That kekkei genkai, Nikusui… just how versatile is that anyway?"

Fuu looked back at Yagura curiously, cocking her head as she thought about it for a moment. "Well… I know that it works from just about any skin to skin contact." she said, before her cheeks reddened and her head bowed. She raised her hands in front of her and lightly prodded her forefingers together as she suddenly looked self-conscious again. "Also… if I get overexcited… it sort of runs over, and well…"

Yagura waited for her to finish her sentence, but soon realised that wasn't going to happen. Still, she had made him curious enough to test a little theory of his. He straightened up from the tree and walked towards her with his arms still folded, coming to a stop when he stood right in front of Fuu. "So what you mean is like last night, when Utakata said that thing?" he asked, watching her with a single raised brow.

The response came quickly; though Fuu remained silent she jumped a little from the memory. Her face also flushed harder and her head bowed further, Yagura could almost feel the heat of embarrassment radiating off of her. But more than that, he found the thing she spoke of. A thin vapour had suddenly begun rising from her body, disappearing into the air a few seconds after it emerged. It almost looked like she had stepped out of a sauna or something.

Fuu glanced up at Yagura, her eyes widening as she caught the glimmer of a smirk on his face. Suddenly realising she was being teased; she threw her hands down to either side in an irritable manner. "Yagura-kun!" she protested, giving him a fierce look that had little to no effect. Though her skin had stopped steaming, her discomfiture hadn't changed.

Yagura, realising he'd been caught, decided to stop hiding his smirk. Though he felt a little regretful for harassing her like that, for some reason he just couldn't help himself. "I see… I didn't know you felt that way about Utakata." he said, slipping his hands behind his head as he awaited Fuu's reaction.

"W-w-I- no!" Fuu exclaimed, taking a step back in shock. She was no longer sure if Yagura was making fun of her, or just misinterpreting the situation. In truth, she had hoped that what she had done earlier might make things a little clearer, was she wrong? "It's not Utakata-kun I-!" she cried, before clasping her hands to her face. Now she was fairly certain she had said too much.

"Huh, not Utakata?" Yagura repeated, raising his eyes to the sky with a curious look. He had definitely caught something in her words, he hadn't missed it. And after a moment's thought, he remembered something that happened not too long ago, something that made the answer obvious to him. "Oh… well…" he muttered, dropping his wide eyes to Fuu. She stared back at him with strong, almost pleading eyes that made him waver for a moment. "You mean…?"

Fuu said nothing to confirm or deny, but kept her attention fixed to Yagura. In truth there was a growing sense in her, a desire to just cry out and run away. But she stood strong, as strong as she could. If she wanted to get through this, she would need to prove she had the confidence to see it to the end.

"Well… I don't think it'd work." Yagura sighed, folding his arms and lightly cocking his head to the right. Fuu blinked in shock; was he going to give such a casual rejection? Her knees shook lightly with the rising pressure, why was he tormenting her like this? "I mean, Naruto _is_ kind of dense."

"CAN WE JUST GET TO TRAINING?" Fuu demanded, the pressure forcing her to yell out at the top of her lungs. She had officially given up, why was this so difficult? She was beginning to wonder if Yagura was slower than she thought he was. Even now he just looked at her with a raised brow, taken by surprise from her outburst.

"O…k." he said, before chuckling faintly to himself. He felt this game had gone on long enough anyway, if he went any further he might be left in the situation he had not too long ago. And so he concluded it was time to get on with things, his expression became a little more serious. "Well then I guess we should get to it."

Fuu nodded fervently as he passed by, before following him through the trees. She was more than a little steamed, but her personal discomfort of the past few minutes kept her from showing it _too_ much. However, she was definitely ready for training, anything that could let her sweat out her shame and frustration.

* * *

Now the secret was out, the fight had become more like a war between beasts. Akira, Hotei and Koyane were openly taking on the sloths while the Kage Bunshin backed them up. Daisuke managed to match the sloths for speed, forcing the timid beasts to focus on him while Kunimei snuck around and attacked from their blind spots. Shinmaru was the only one not directly fighting, instead confusing the apparently half blind and deaf sloths by marking the area. Naruto and two other Kage Bunshin took on the lone Shinobi; they were having little trouble overpowering him.

"FUUTON: REPPUSHO!" they cried, surrounding him in three places. The wind that blasted from their palms struck the Shinobi with crushing force; if he wasn't dead he was unconscious. In either case, he lost his grip on the wall and plummeted down to the abyss below. Naruto let out a breath of relief; he had expended a little too much effort here.

"_Alright, guess it's time to move on."_ he thought, as he headed to the place where Eko was. He tried not to notice the sloths that were tossed off the walls; in truth he didn't much like harming animals when it wasn't necessary. But even with their masters gone, the beasts continued to claw and slash. So he had to let the dogs have their way with the beasts, and instead focus on what needed to be done.

"_Have fun?"_

Naruto ignored Eko's moody comment and pulled him out of the wall. To be honest, the fight hadn't lasted nearly long enough for him to get into it; his thoughts were still on what he needed to do. He looked up as the last of the sloths were finished off, and his Kage Bunshin dispersed. It was time to move on; he needed to alert Gaara and Deidara.

"Shinmaru, find Gaara!" he ordered, as he placed Eko back onto his back. The large dog barked in reply, the rest of the dogs dispersing back into the shadows. Naruto leapt up the walls and landed on a rooftop with his best tracker, before climbing onto his back and ordering him to move on. Shinmaru immediately obeyed and took off; reaching a greater speed than Naruto could manage on his own.

They darted through the buildings, following the debris left by Deidara's passing. There was no more sound of explosions; there was no longer any need for them. But the artistic arsonist had left an easy enough trail to follow in any case. However, that served only as a guiding post, since the person Naruto sought was _not_ Deidara.

"_It's gonna be tough to find him with his scent masked by the smoke."_

"_You think I should use the Resonance Jutsu?" _Naruto asked, replying to Eko's statement with a thought. He wasn't sure how well it would work here, there were too many walls in the way. Plus, using it could provide an unneeded distraction, what if Gaara was in a situation of some sort?

"_Nah, but it might be a good idea to get to the rooftops, get a better view Y'know?_

Naruto nodded in agreement; that made sense enough. With a slight tug to Shinmaru's fur, the dog understood too. He changed direction when he landed on a perch and made a higher jump to one of the taller structures. Not too long later, they were looking out to a view of a village filled with rising plumes of smoke. _"Man, Deidara really gets into his work, doesn't he?" _Naruto thought, as Shinmaru sniffed through the air. His giant head then turned around as he let out a low whine; he had caught Gaara's scent. "Good boy, go find him!"

The dog barked again before taking off across the buildings in the direction he detected the sand wielder, wasting no time and in fact picking up speed unnecessarily. Naruto almost considered telling him to slow down, but pressing matters restricted that thought. Had it been him on his own, he'd probably be moving at top speed too.

"Hoi, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto whipped his head back as a shadow passed over him. The large clay owl that he had seen Deidara leave on was flying overhead, with the creator in question standing on top. He looked over the edge at Naruto, grinning at Shinmaru with an impressed look upon his face. Naruto however could hardly return the gesture. "You couldn't wait a minute longer?" he asked, his expression dry and tired. Deidara cocked a brow at him in reply, clearly seeing that things didn't go as planned.

"Guess that means they got word out, yeah?" he said, his smirk fading as he rubbed his chin. Then he gave a light shrug of his shoulders, apparently it wasn't a big deal to him as it seemed like to Naruto. "It's no problem; it just means we gotta work quicker. The distraction's done its job, so I'll see what I can find; you do the same."

"Yeah yeah." Naruto grumbled, as Deidara took off again. He couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the person who had to be the partner to such an impatient guy. But at least with the message passed on to one person, he could relax a little more. He let out a breath of relief, just as Shinmaru began to descend from the rooftops. "Huh, we're there?"

He looked out to see if they had reached Gaara, but couldn't catch sight of the red haired boy. That was understandable enough, for all he knew Gaara was inside or something. All that he could do was wait for Shinmaru to take him there.

But then the big dog stopped, standing just at the gap between two buildings. He looked over at Naruto and let out another whine, jerking his head into the shadows to the right. Naruto frowned at the sound the dog made, what was the problem? However, turning his eyes to the right, Naruto found that answer for himself. "Hey, Gaara!" he called, waving to the boy not too far away.

* * *

"Hey uh, Yagura-kun?" Fuu called, looking over her shoulder as she lifted up a bundle of sticks. Her shin and clothes were flecked with dirt, and sweat gave her an odd sheen in the cold but humid air. She was also breathing a little heavily; she'd been doing quite a bit of lifting and dropping things. "What are we doing this for? I thought we were training."

Yagura didn't respond right away, he was busy focusing on the task at hand. He was in the process of tying sticks together with creepers that were clinging to a nearby tree. Finishing with the one he was working on, he laid it aside and rested his arm on his knee, wiping his brow as he looked back at Fuu. "We're making training dummies, so you can practice close combat without injuring yourself on hard wood." he said, gesturing to the irregularly sized bundles piled next to him.

"Oh… ok." Fuu muttered, as she carried the sticks she was carrying over to him. She could kind of see the sense in doing something like that, but she had really been hoping to get straight to training instead of this strange labour. "So… what kind of things will you teach me?"

Yagura shifted over so he was sitting on the ground, looking over at Fuu who sat down beside him. He was still giving that topic some thought, he believed even now that Utakata would have been a better choice of sensei. "Well… based on what I've seen, I don't think you're a Genjutsu type." he said, with a half thoughtful and half tired look about him. "And I can't help you with Nature Manipulation… I think it'd probably be better to work on your advantages; the Nikusui and your Biju control."

Fuu looked at Yagura in shock, fear appearing on her face. He didn't blame her for that reaction; he doubted she had any reason to see the Nanabi in anything other than a negative light. "Oh… well… ok." she said, her worry clear in spite of her efforts. "I… I guess I could give that a try…"

Yagura shook his head at these words, Fuu was misunderstanding what he was telling her. "It'll be a while before we get there, there's still a lot of work to be put into Gaara first." he replied, as he picked up a stick and began roughly drawing into the dirt. "So far what he's done is completed the first step." he explained, showing Fuu a rough outline of a person. "He found his inner self and calmed it."

To indicate this, Yagura drew a line at the figure's feet before scraping in an upside down version of that same person. However to contrast, he scraped out the insides to make it look like an inversion. "It's this inner self that acts as the medium between him and the Ichibi." he continued, before adding to the drawing by turning the lines between their feet into a large figure eight. "So what he's essentially done is taken down his mental barrier to the Ichibi."

Fuu watched the picture as it grew into something larger, her expression blank as she did her best to follow what Yagura was saying. So far she was having a tough time doing that, but she was at least trying. "You mean… he's not afraid of it anymore?" she asked, looking to Yagura in the hope that she had hit the mark.

"Something like that." Yagura replied, lightly tapping the sketch with the end of the stick. "It's more like he no longer resists it. But that's where it's most dangerous. See, now that there's nothing stopping him from taking all the chakra he wants, there's nothing stopping the Ichibi from pushing its consciousness onto him at the same time. This is where a lot of the Jinchuriki died; they didn't have enough self control. But Gaara seems to have that and then some. That's why we're even doing this, because I'm sure that Gaara _won't _use that power unless it's _absolutely _necessary."

"Is it really that bad?" Fuu asked, raising her knees to her chin and hugging them tight. She knew absolutely nothing of what it meant to be Jinchuriki, knew nothing of the dangers that came with it. She had yet to be troubled by the Nanabi, though she had always wondered why this was. "What'll happen if you're wrong?"

Yagura paused for a moment there, his stick halfway to the ground. The idea of that training not working had been something he was almost certain about, and was the main reason he hadn't wanted to do it. But from the week that Gaara had been recovering from his stab wound he had shown no desire to use that power; none that Yagura had seen anyway. But he couldn't deny it, the worry still lingered somewhere in his head. And so, to indicate this, he began drawing a large circle around the figure eight. Then, once he had done that, he lowered the stick down to the figure representing Gaara, and lightly crossed it out.

"Something… kinda like that."

* * *

A black claw reached out into the thin slither of light, its sharp tip dragging across the dusty stone. As it moved along, it pulled a trail of red, a morbid kind of ink. The red liquid pulled from a nearby corpse, whose form was obscured in the darkness. The claw absent mindedly scrawled across the stone, forming seemingly random kanji in a strangely neat writing.

"Life… is existence." muttered a harsh, gravelly voice from the shadows. It seemed to belong to the owner of the claw, but as to who that was, that was a mystery. All that was clear was that strange extremity, and the voice that quietly raved in time to the writing. "Existence… is desire… desire… is death…"

The voice continued to mutter itself, undisturbed by the world around it as it rambled on. It failed even to acknowledge the dull thud that came not too far to its right, so immersed was it in its task. "Hey, Gaara!" called a voice, also harsh, but energetic. The voice… _Gaara_, ignored it however, distracted by something more meaningful; there wasn't enough blood.

A blond boy jumped off of a large dog as the being he called Gaara reached out to the shadows. The claw grasped at something there, before a gut wrenching crunch could be heard. The claw then pulled back, bringing with it a dismembered arm that dripped with blood. Gaara held it over the words he had written, before squeezing the arm tight. "Everything… washes away in blood." he said, as he tossed the arm off to his right. Lazily, he looked over as he heard the squelch of the arm rolling across the stone. It was there for the first time that he acknowledged the stranger, who was squinting to make him out in the darkness.

"You… you don't cling to life, do you?" Gaara asked, his face becoming slightly visible as his head swayed lightly from side to side. His eyes were faded, he seemed barely aware of what he was doing. Sand gripped his neck, clinging to it like it was his own skin. That sand dragged down his shoulders, before disappearing into the shadows. However, the mystery of that sand wasn't to last long, as Gaara slowly straightened up. "You… have a reason to live, but not a strong one."

Naruto took a step back, his brow creasing and his eyes widening at the sight he saw. This was Gaara, but not like he had ever seen him before. The sand that covered his body seemed almost like that new form he had been training with just the other day, but it also seemed like the form he had used a long time ago, back when he was a different person entirely.

The claw of sand still clung to his arm, but this time there was another on his left arm too. What was more; those arms had grown to a colossal size passing by Gaara's shoulders like they belonged to the body of a beast behind him. That sand also formed a large tail behind him, swishing lightly through the air as Gaara stood hunched over from his own sheer weight.

"Gaara?" Naruto called again, an uncertain look on his face. But from the look on Gaara's face, there was no way of knowing if his words were even reaching him. But that didn't make sense, how could he be like this when he'd been training against it? "Hey, Gaara, what's going on?"

"Your… reason for… existing…" Gaara muttered, as he slowly stepped out from the shadows. Naruto took another step back as he saw Gaara fully. His entire lower half was drenched in blood, trailing from a disfigured form in the shadows. But Naruto's attention was removed from that as he looked straight at Gaara, who was baring his teeth in an angered glare. "Will not… surpass… MY OWN!"

Then, with a roar of rage he charged straight at Naruto, swinging his massive arms aside as he tried to break his friend apart. Naruto was saved by Shinmaru, who roughly grabbed his master in his large mouth and jumped back to another building. They landed in an open hallway, where the dog dropped the still stunned Naruto back onto the ground.

"_Snap out of it, he's going to attack!"_


	39. Requisition of the damned

Well... THIS took longer than expected. But it's a longer chapter than usual, so I think it's ok. These Naruto Gaara fights are getting really troubling, there's only so much I can think of crazed Gaara doing. Well, it's fine anyway, just let me know what you think, okay?

Disclaimer: Looks like we're in for another Orochimaru vs Sarutobi thing here, you all know what I mean right?

* * *

**Requisition of the damned**

The walls exploded in a shower of brick and mortar as two figures crashed through it. The empty halls lay in wake of the forms, one of a man and one of a monster. Only one stood; the other lay in the pile of debris created by their forced entry. Naruto winced in pain at the pieces of rock jabbing into his back, but his attention was focused on Gaara, to whom the dust seemed to whirl around. Even Eko, who lay beside Naruto, was left stunned by the sheer power and speed of the attack that had thrown them through the thick walls.

"_Naruto, move fast and hit hard!"_

Naruto nodded in reply, taking the great sword in hand as he steadily got to his feet. He readied the blade in both hands, holding it so that there was a steel divide in the middle of his viewpoint. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment to clear his thoughts. Across from him, Gaara rose higher to a more upright position, watching Naruto with bared teeth and a creased brow. His frown deepened as he saw a grin slowly creep onto Naruto's face, before the blonde's eyes snapped open with a determined expression. "Let's do this!" he exclaimed, before suddenly charging at Gaara full speed.

The sand manipulator stood rigid as Naruto reached him, not expecting the force that struck him a moment later. He was pushed back into the outermost hallway of the building, visually expending effort as he tried to avoid being knocked over the side. But before he knew it, he was stumbling forward as Naruto suddenly darted to his left, whipping around with several spinning slashes to thin air. "Fuuton: Windstorm Slicer!" he called, as a wave of blades made of wind flew from the edge of the Ekokaeten.

Gaara saw the attack in time and threw his arms to the ground in front of him. The sand extremities moved according to this and formed a powerful wall between him and the razor wind. Each arc stuck the sand hard, causing small dents in the arms but nothing more. Naruto came a stop as he finished the Jutsu, but immediately saw and took advantage of the opportunity given by Gaara's defence. Running straight at the bizarre form, he jumped off the sand arms and over Gaara, before slicing down hard with the Ekokaeten. The giant blade dropped down through the air and struck the tail of sand, severing it instantly.

"_That's one thing taken care of, but what about the rest?"_

"_I'm working on it!" _Naruto thought in reply, as he landed just a few feet behind the quickly disintegrating tail. He let a hand go of Eko as he made to strike Gaara from behind with wind, but the deranged ninja had noticed his missing tail and predicted where Naruto was. With a strong thrust, he rammed his elbows back hard, bringing with them the immense limbs of sand. Naruto was taken off guard by this sudden counterattack, he had never witnessed Gaara's sand to be this versatile before; normally it needed to be directed with hand gestures. It was for this reason that he was hit by the full force of the attack, and sent flying so far he left the building altogether.

"_Aagh!" _Naruto thought, as his body flew through an opening but his head hit the wall. He tumbled inside, rolling across the ground while clutching the back of his head in pain. There was a ringing sound in his ears, and his eyes seemed to register the world a little slower than his body did. Eko dropped out of his hand and clattered to the ground, the sound of metal on stone magnifying and echoing several times over.

"_Hey, get up!"_

With slight difficulty, Naruto opened his eyes to look at the window he had come in through. The light was obscured by Gaara's perched form, looking down at Naruto like a lion watching its prey. The look in his distant but bloodthirsty eyes set Naruto on edge, but also sparked something else inside of him.

He watched Gaara carefully, waiting for the exact moment he anticipated. It came as Gaara crouched lower, preparing to leap in for the kill. Naruto threw his hands together in a string of seals, just as Gaara leapt through the air. "Fuuton: Great Wind Palm!" he called, before slamming his open hands onto the floor to either side of him.

The ground cracked suddenly and quickly, fissures spreading throughout as the floor collapsed beneath Naruto. He and Gaara both fell through this cave in, Naruto using the distraction to grab Eko and take to higher ground. Even while jumping through the opening back outside, he swung Eko around to create an arc of wind to force the close following Gaara to defend.

"_Naruto! You're using too much chakra!"_

Unfortunately, Naruto hadn't realised this until Eko had mentioned it. He'd been too busy fighting to realise the strain of his earlier fights had collected to what he was feeling now. But even then he barely cared; it wasn't like he could afford to slow down. Things were going to hell in a hand basket, and he was slowly forgetting the reason he was here.

Landing on the rooftop of a building several floors down, Naruto turned around to the place he knew Gaara would emerge from. The adrenaline pumping through his body had left him excited; despite his feelings he had a broad grin and a jumpy stance about him. But there was no use denying it; he knew there was no way the battle was going to end soon as it was.

"_Hey… Eko."_ Naruto thought, as once more Gaara appeared in his line of sight. It seemed that massive amount of sand was weighing him down, aside from his lunges the rest of his movements were rather slow. From this distance, Naruto doubted that Gaara could even get over here as he was. _"I'm gonna use _it._"_

"_Whoa whoa whoa, _WHAT_?"_

Without giving any explanation, Naruto pushed Eko deep into the rooftop so that he stayed in place. He then raised his hands together, forming them into the common ram seal as he prepared to mould some chakra. Ignoring Eko's continued protests, he closed his eyes and began to focus deep within himself.

At first nothing happened, but that wasn't unexpected. Naruto's expression grew more serious as his brow creased and his lips parted to a soundless growl. Far up above, Gaara was watching him curiously as he detected something strange. There was an aura rising around Naruto, something dark and malevolent. But more than anything else, it was powerful; powerful enough to make Gaara stop in his tracks.

Deep inside the realms of Naruto's mind, there was a faint but powerful voice. It rose up from the depths of his consciousness and rang through his ears, a deep call that unnerved him even then. It was that sound that drew him in, turning his world to darkness as the meanings of time and space changed into something obscure. _**"Here he comes, the brat once again…"**_

* * *

Naruto slowly opened his eyes as the cold feeling of water around his feet came to him. In the vast darkness of the chamber in which he stood, he fixed his gaze upon the metal bars of the enormous prison in front of him. It was there, just beyond the place where light fully existed, that a pair of lambent eyes stared at him. Two large, red orbs hovering in the air, with black slits focusing on the tiny boy below.

"_**Here you are again…"**_came the guttural voice of the Kyuubi no Youko, the owner of those giant eyes. The face of the beast slowly moved forward, and the gargantuan visage of a demonic fox came faintly into sight. The beast's nose squeezed partway through the bars, taking in a deep inhale as it continued to watch Naruto closely. _**"I don't sense any malcontent… so that must mean you're in a situation of some sort."**_

Naruto stared defiantly at the Kyuubi; he had no desire to give the monster the pleasure of knowing the full situation. He had a reason to be here, one that he wasn't so quick to forget. "Give me chakra." he ordered, in a commanding voice which he seldom used. He ignored the Kyuubi's curious yet angered look, not wanting to go into details. "I can't hold back, not at a time like this."

His words hung loosely around the echoing hall, filling both his and the Kyuubi's ears as they repeated themselves just a moment after being spoken. Naruto stared strong up at the demon fox before him even as he openly asked for its help. To that end, he saw every slight change to the Kyuubi's expression; the slowly narrowing eyes, and the steadily growing grin that showed all of that monster's huge, sharp teeth.

"_**It sounds like you're really in a bind."**_it said, clearly enjoying itself as it watched Naruto flinch slightly from those words. The beast was almost tempted to chuckle, if laughter had not been something missing from his existence for many years now. But right now was a moment he could scarcely pass up, and there wasn't a part of him that wanted to really. _**"Beg me."**_

Naruto faltered for a moment from that sudden demand, backing off a little as his brow rose in surprise. But then it came back full speed, his eyes widening until they were about popping out of his skull, his look turning to a strong glare as he pumped his fists. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BEG?" he demanded, with an incredulous look on his exasperated face. "JUST GIVE IT TO ME YOU DAMN FOX!"

This time the Kyuubi really did chuckle, though this was a more natural reaction to the situation. The boy before him was being unrightfully insolent, though the Kyuubi knew there was little he could do to stop him. _**"Is that any way to request my help?"**_it asked, in a haughty tone of voice. But then it chuckled again, this time a more prolonged sound that put Naruto even more on edge than he was before. _**"How am I to know you won't waste the power I give to you?"**_

The Kyuubi gave a pause as he awaited the answer to his question, knowing full well what he would get in return. Naruto simply stared back, trying his best to remain defiant while having no reply to give. Since this was expected, the Kyuubi was less than surprised. _**"No matter, I have nothing to do with it myself." **_he said, as his head slowly lowered to the ground. Between his fangs came a thick liquid of a very pale red, flowing out like foam from a rabid dog. It dripped into the waters of the cavern and mixed with them, making the calm stream bubble and boil. _**"However, don't ever forget that you in your clear state of mind asked for my power. Never deny that you need what I possess."**_

Naruto ground his teeth in anger, but remained silent in spite of himself. It was this very reason that he didn't _want_ to use the Kyuubi's power, he wanted to do it on his own. But he had other issues at hand; there was no other way at this moment in time. He simply allowed the reddening waters to drift past him, out into that hallway back there. _"Yeah… I got it."_ he thought, as he turned around to face what was out there.

* * *

Eko, with his full range of vision, was caught in a frenzy of distress. Though it was one thing for Naruto to use some of the Kyuubi's chakra when he needed it, to actively call upon it when all else had not been tested was something that had never been done before. What seemed even worse was, though Gaara had been initially interested by the change in Naruto's chakra, that quality seemed to have waned since.

Then it came, like a silent roll of thunder. Something inside of Naruto changed at a rapid pace as energy flowed through his body. Despite his average size, his body became a monolith of chakra, too much for his form to contain. It slowly spread out over his body like a thin film, enveloping him before bulging grotesquely. His eyes opened up, revealing crimson irises with black slits, just like that of the beast itself.

This sudden changed had sparked something not just inside Naruto, but Gaara too. Feral instinct took over the malformed boy as he suddenly leapt over the broad chasm, forgetting his weight as he headed for the source of the killing aura he was detecting. However, though he forgot about it, gravity most certainly didn't. He barely made it to the halfway point before he began descending, his expression contorting in anger. But just as he prepared to use the sand to sling onto the rooftop, Naruto met him halfway.

"HREEARGH!" the blond boy roared, as he appeared from nowhere. He quickly grappled with Gaara, a long tail of red chakra curling around them both in a vice grip. The impact caused the two to stop moving either way, resulting in them plummeting down to the chasms below even as they fought each other off. Naruto clawed at the sand, trying to rip it straight off while Gaara attempted to crush Naruto in a bear hug. Both of their attacks were ineffective however; there were only indents left in the sand and the chakra covering Naruto's body protected him from being squeezed to death.

When both of them realised that what they were doing was futile, they quickly moved on to another strategy. At the same time, both of them made their moves to distance themselves, Gaara attempting to punch Naruto off of him. However, it was Naruto's attack that succeeded. He released from his lungs a powerful roar that created a shock wave strong enough to throw Gaara back a considerable distance. Naruto meanwhile shot his tail out behind him, gripping the rock wall and pulling himself onto it. However despite the action he took, he still gave a glare and a growl at Gaara, who extended the same, but silent courtesy right back at him.

They had descended far below the reaches of the sun now, their vision granted only by the thin light that hit the buildings above. Almost systematically, the further they got from the sun the rougher the stone walls became. What they gripped on now could only be described as a cavern wall, nothing like the smooth ones of the towers and such above. Of course, these features were wasted on the bestial boys, who couldn't take their eyes off of their opponent.

Neither waiting for the other to move, the two possessed boys attacked each other much in the same way. Gaara threw an arm out at Naruto, the sand extending and thinning out as it reached to grab the veiled boy. Naruto did the same thing with his tail, which changed in shape to form a long claw of sorts. The two demonic appendages met midway, gripping onto each other tight.

What came next was a ferocious struggle as the chakra and sand gripped onto each other. Though Gaara tried to force his way past and attack Naruto directly, Naruto intended something different altogether. He grasped the sand arm tight in the tail, before crouching low and bounding off of the wall he latched onto. He soared through the air high above Gaara, before landing on the same wall the red haired boy clung to. Then, with great force, he pulled Gaara off the wall and threw him up into the sky.

Gaara flew up several metres in the air before his own weight got to him. But Naruto didn't allow that to matter, he already moved to follow him out of the darkness. The two once more collided, but in this instance Naruto was purely on the offence while Gaara was on defence. The Kyuubi affected ninja threw punches and kicks at every given opening, hurling his limbs around to connect to Gaara's body. Though there was a great deal of sand in the way, Gaara was far from completely covered. And his sand shield could not stand up against the cloak of chakra that enshrouded the attacks against him.

"Gooah!" Gaara grunted, as a leg was thrown into his gut. He grabbed onto the leg, but his grip was slackened as the chakra tail turned into a giant fist and struck him square on the forehead. He was knocked once more through the air, this time becoming embedded in the rock wall of one of the buildings. Before he had a moment to recuperate, Naruto was upon him, throwing his chakra covered fists straight into Gaara.

"_Gotta… drain his… chakra!" _he thought, as the armour of sand cracked and chipped under the force. He knew that the armour of sand was tough to keep up, and that the strain of maintaining a form like that must have been adding to the stress Gaara's body must have been going through. If he could force the invading chakra to come to a stop, then there was a chance that Gaara could come back to his senses. That was what Naruto was hoping for anyway.

But then there came something he hadn't anticipated, something very troubling indeed. The force of his attacks, though only enough to crack the sand armour, had caused the crater in the wall to crumble more so, until the two of them were inside the building. It was here that the problem was raised, and that problem was defined by screams; they had stumbled on one of the places the civilians were hiding.

People were everywhere, filling the room as they surrounded the two horrific invaders with terrified expressions. Panic exploded as they all backed up before fleeing the scene, making for the exits. However, they weren't the only ones feeling heightened alarm. In the moment Naruto had been distracted, Gaara too had come to notice the civilians in the room.

He threw his arm up and caught Naruto in the chin, knocking the blond off. In an instant he had pulled himself to his feet, and was throwing his arms out to the crowd. "Blood and sand, BLOOD AND SAND!" he screamed, as the sand blasted from his arms like bees fleeing the hive.

The mass of dust like stone rose through the air at a swift pace, snaking and chasing after the fleeing civilians. Several people were caught in the storm, the sand tightening around them so they couldn't move. In moments, four people were trapped in mounds of sand, crying out in fear as they tried their best to escape. Gaara lifted his hand, his eyes wide with a manic glee as his fingers tightened around the air. "SABAKU-"

But before he could finish, he was knocked aside as Naruto barrelled straight into him, the pair rolling across the ground towards the hole they had entered from. Across the room, the civilians were freed by Gaara's distraction, and hastily made their way out after the others. That left Naruto beneath Gaara, he had lost the advantage somewhere in the midst of rolling.

"FALL, DIE, DISAPPEAR!" Gaara yelled, amidst throwing his massive fists at the pinned down Naruto. Each strike hit hard, leaving an indent in the chakra cloak that was steadily growing closer to Naruto's body, threatening to deal him fatal injury in the process. All the while he struggled against Gaara, but his arms were pinned to his sides. "YOUR BLOOD WILL FEED ME, AND MAKE ME STRONGER!"

"HAAAARRRGGHHH!" Naruto roared, throwing his head up. Chakra pulsed from his guttural scream and struck Gaara like he had been hit with a hurricane. But his grip on the ground was tight; all that was done was that he was lifted slightly off of Naruto. Luckily that was all that was needed as Naruto loosed his arms and with them, added to the force of his roar with blasts of wind.

Unable to stand steady against this level of wind, Gaara was lifted off his feet and thrown _through _ceiling. He was lifted several metres off the ground, until he was pressed against the roof of the next floor up. It was here that the sonic and wind attacks came to a stop, as Naruto gripped his arm at the side. Then everything seemed to slow down, as Naruto collected all his effort into this one move.

Wind whirled around his bandaged arm, mixing with the Kyuubi's chakra in a volatile manner. What came from it was a strange cyclone of sorts, forming around Naruto's arm in a rounded shape that more closely resembled a whirlpool when mixed with the tangible red chakra. But that form was nonetheless intense, moving so fast small fragments of the red chakra flew off and dispersed in a mist around it. Along with it came the sharp blades of wind coursing around Naruto's arm, both threatening looking and downright scary. Naruto took this arm, and with the last of his strength, leapt into the air to intercept the descending Gaara.

Their roars came almost in the form of a canon, first coming Naruto's scream of effort followed closely by Gaara's cry of pain. The windstorm around the blond boy's arm struck Gaara's stomach, and the result was that unreal sound, rising in intensity until the latter stopped suddenly. Thrown back up from the force of the attack, Naruto could literally see consciousness drift away as Gaara's head cracked against the ceiling above. The two boys fell back to the ground, Naruto landing considerably neater than Gaara did.

Naruto turned to face his friend, his eyes still wide and his teeth still bared. But his breathing was heavy, and that red chakra was steadily dissipating. It lifted away in an opaque fog, leaving Naruto as he was, looking down at Gaara as air poured in and out of his lungs. The strain of his constant attacks, and the attacks dealt to him, proved to be too great however. Soon he fell to his knees, before collapsing beside Gaara. The last thing he recalled seeing, before winding up in the same state as his friend, were the Iwa Shinobi who suddenly came running in through the open doorway. _"Damn… it…"_ he thought, before his eyes forced themselves closed.

* * *

Complete though it had been, the darkness was disturbed by a faint glow, accompanied with the sound of flickering flames. That glow sat across the back of Naruto's eyelids; he was at this moment still unwilling to open them up. It seemed so much easier to be unconscious right now. However, a bone shivering noise hit his ears, a crunching sound that made him feel strangely uneasy. Reluctantly, Naruto slowly moved onto his front, his eyes opening slightly as he turned his head away from the headache inducing light. Across from him he saw the familiar form of Gaara, no longer covered in sand; he was back to normal.

"Gah…" Naruto grunted, as he pressed his hands upon the cold rocks beneath him. With difficulty, he managed to raise himself to a sitting position that had him facing his slightly older friend. It was a troubling sight, Gaara's face was contorted and there seemed to be a cold sweat dripping down his face. Naruto hurried to his side, placing his arms on Gaara's shoulders and roughly shaking him. "Hey Gaara, wake up!"

Almost instantly Gaara complied, his eyes snapping open and his back snapping upright. In a moment he was in a sitting position, panting with his mouth wide open. What was worse, even though it was Gaara, Naruto couldn't help but notice that the boy looked rather pale. However, he already knew better than to ask; it looked like the Shukaku was "talking" to him again. That to Naruto was a stressful thought; he could hardly imagine what it was like for Gaara.

In spite of his worry however Naruto was disturbed as once more there came a crunching sound, somewhere behind him. It was that sound that reminded him of their situation, and put him on full alert. In this case, he wasn't sure if Gaara could do all that much to help; he would have to take care of things himself. Carefully, he turned his eyes to the place behind him, his brow already creasing into a glare.

"Yo." Deidara said, taking a bite out of an apple. He sat not far from the fire in the middle of the room, leaning back leisurely as he watched the two boys with half closed eyes. He seemed not bothered by either boy's condition, and in fact looked almost bored by it. However as a kind of gesture, he raised his other hand to show a whole apple he was also holding onto. "Hungry?"

"What's going on?" Gaara asked, looking up at Deidara while he gripped the side of his throbbing head. He looked between the two blonds, confusion clear on his face from their situation. Rather than a prison, this place looked more like a cave. And what was more, since the exit was not too far away it was plain to see that night had fallen.

Lightly tossing the apple through the air, Deidara leant forward with a smirk on his face. As Naruto caught the apple in his hand, the Akatsuki member looked over his two "employers", before speaking in a low but clear tone. "What happened was that while I was looking for information on our Jinchuriki, _you two_ were tearing the village up and releasing enough chakra to alert every Shinobi in the entire place of your presence." he explained, making sure that both boys weren't misunderstanding his words. "The best part was, you weren't even fighting the enemy, you were kicking _each other's _asses, heh."

Gaara frowned at Deidara; he seemed to have no recollection of such a thing. He looked up at Naruto however, and the blonde's expression confirmed it. His friend was watching the fire closely, purposefully not making eye contact with Gaara. "I see…" he muttered, dropping his eyes to the ground below him. Though he said nothing else, it was clear to the other two that he had fallen into deep thought.

"Anyway, it sort of helped out in the end." Deidara said, as he tossed his finished apple into the flames. He leant back even further, slipping his arms behind his head as he rested against the rocks. "With all those Shinobi gathered into one place, finding the info that we needed was a piece of cake. Tomorrow we'll go find the Jinchuriki, and see what happens from there."

Once again he had drawn the attention of the two boys, but he closed his eyes and avoided answering questions. This left Naruto and Gaara to look only at each other; they had succeeded then? Certainly it was too early to celebrate, but knowing they had gotten what they needed in spite of what happened was comforting to say the least. Although, Gaara already had something on his mind, Naruto was the only one between the two who could relax. Though he wasn't too keen on leaving his troubled friend in the state he was in, he knew that Gaara would never openly speak about it; he would be much too embarrassed to. And so in the end he decided that he too should get some rest. Laying the apple next to Gaara, Naruto lay down in the dirt, and tried to forget what had happened today.


	40. The hermit of earth

God DAMN this took too long to update. I ain't gonna say much, since I just wanna get this chapter up. Read, enjoy, and if you want, review please.

Disclaimer: That Shinra Tensei was so freaking AWESOME!

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The hermit of earth

The three Shinobi emerged from the mouth of the cave the next day, the sunlight glaring down at them once more. Deidara looked up at the sky with a wry smile; it was starting to become unclear if he did _anything_ innocently. He was the only one to be in that sort of mood, Naruto was filed with an awkward sense of anxiety and unease at what happened yesterday and also what lay ahead. Gaara however was the least optimistic; he hadn't spoken a word or so much as acknowledged the presence of anyone else.

They embraced the cool breeze, welcoming it over the scorching sun. The cave dove into one of the cliff faces not far from the village they had caused a great deal of trouble for just yesterday. From here, Naruto couldn't possibly have been able to tell that they had been there at all. The smoke plumes were gone and anything that had been destroyed had plummeted down into the depths. However, this was scarcely a concern; there was something foremost on Naruto's conscience right now.

"Hey, I gotta go in there for a minute." he said, looking over his shoulder at the pair behind him. There was an empty feeling that he needed to take care of, something important beyond measure. Gaara however wasn't listening; Deidara was the only one who heard him. The eldest of the three cast his eyes back, lightly looking over the place behind Naruto with his single visible eye.

"If you're looking for your sword, there's no need." he said, staring Naruto in the eye. He then raised his hand, gesturing to the wall of the valley they had been inhabiting for the night. "I saw one of those dogs of yours picking it up. I think they're somewhere up there or something. That's what you mean, yeah?"

Naruto blinked in surprise, before turning his eyes up. Though the top of the valley was impossible to make out for the intense sky, he had a pretty good feeling the dogs Deidara was referring to weren't up _that_ high. Sure enough, about halfway down the sheer wall there was a rocky ledge that had some oddly shaped shadows upon them. Naruto raised his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle, and as expected the forms shifted suddenly.

It was the arrival of those six dogs, their landings causing slight tremor to the ground, that caused Gaara to finally react. He looked up as Akira headed over to Naruto, the hilt of the Ekokaeten gripped in his mouth. The red haired boy winced slightly and grabbed the side of his head as something like a brief flicker came to mind, one of a dog pulling a blond haired boy in red out of the way.

"Hnn." he grunted, his furrowed brow showing obvious discomfort. Before either Deidara or Naruto could notice however, he calmed himself back to an almost flat expression, but even his best efforts couldn't hide his troubled look. Fortunately, Deidara didn't pay it any attention and Naruto seemed to be kind of preoccupied.

"_You freaking idiot! Don't go using that chakra when we're in the middle of an important mission!"_

"_Sorry sorry!"_ Naruto thought, as he took the blade in hand and gave Eko and apologetic grin. Eko didn't seem to settle for that though, and continued to scold Naruto, call him an idiot and all sorts of things. Naruto however quickly grew tired of this, giving the blade a flat but expectant look. _"Alright alright, don't get mad just cos I can't use you like that."_

Though the blade continued to grumble to himself, Naruto had hit the nail right on the head with his remark. Soon the obscure peace was restored, and he was able to slip the blade onto his back without complaint.

Now that things were in place, Deidara turned and began to walk away. He headed in the opposite direction of the village, through the broad valley to the north of that place. Naruto and Gaara soon followed after him, while the dogs made for higher ground. "Alright listen up, I'll tell you what I've learned." Deidara said, keeping his attentions firmly to the road ahead. He walked with the quick, determined pace of someone with a destination they were keen to get to, showing more enthusiasm than either of the boys behind him. "The Gobi Jinchuriki's name is Han, and he's a bit of a hermit, so don't expect a big welcome even if you _are_ like him. As you may have guessed, he lives outside the village. Just be careful not to get on his nerves, yeah?"

"Uh… sure." Naruto replied, not really sure of what else to say. He was willing to follow Deidara's lead on this one; it wasn't like he could do anything useful until they got there anyway. But he was glad to hear _something_ at least, he really hadn't known what to expect from Fuu, or Yagura for that matter. "So uh… you know anything else?"

Deidara didn't answer right away; he seemed to be thinking about something beforehand. But when he did reply, he cast a glance over his shoulder, giving Naruto a surprisingly cool look. "Yeah." he said, his calm blue eye looking into Naruto's electric ones. After another moment's pause, he spoke in as relaxed a tone as the expression he wore. "Don't touch his workbench."

Naruto blinked in surprise, before frowning in confusion. That response wasn't exactly the kind of thing he'd been expecting, moreover he now felt less certain about the situation than he did before. However in spite of the growing level of curiosity inside of him, it wasn't him that posed the question he was thinking.

"You know this person then?" Gaara asked, speaking up for the first time since last night. He walked with his arms folded, a fixed look upon Deidara construing seriousness that the group was otherwise lacking. It was this seriousness that was necessary, but also a dampener to the mood. "Then why is it we went to the trouble of digging up information?"

"Because that's only technically true." Deidara replied, his voice becoming slightly more suitable to the situation from Gaara's tone. The red haired boy kept his attention locked on, while Naruto cocked his head and narrowed his eyes in clear confusion. "I don't think even his family could have figured that guy out. He's got some strange habits; you could call him a rather… _inconsistent_ person… un."

"Inconsistent?" Naruto repeated, with a stupid look on his face that was anything but alien. He really had no idea what a person would have to be like to earn a description like that. How could one generally be inconsistent? "I don't get it, what's that supposed to mean?"

Deidara bowed his head and let out a faint chuckle from Naruto's obvious question. However, rather than offer a helpful explanation, he just gave the boy more confusion to work with. "I guess we'll see when we find him… hmf." he said, causing Naruto to scratch at his head. Gaara on the other hand wasn't reacting anything like that; he was simply taking in what Deidara said and filing it away.

* * *

Yagura let out a deep yawn as he walked into the kitchen area of the base. He'd slept in a little, though no one would have blamed him considering how much time he'd spent training with Fuu last night. He opened his still sleeping eyes as he stepped past the middle unit of the kitchen, to the place where Utakata was standing. "Hey." he said, raising his hand unnecessarily to his long time friend.

Utakata glanced at him, a small smile on his face. He jerked his head over to the window he'd been looking out of, gesturing for Yagura to come closer. Confused, Yagura did just that, leaning on the sill as he cast his eyes down below. "Dunno what you did, but looks like you've lit a fire." Utakata said, as he too returned his eyes to the girl down below.

Fuu was deep in training, standing in a forest of dummies made from the sticks she and Yagura had gathered yesterday. The many dolls that surrounded her would have been the equivalent of several Shinobi teams; there were at least twelve of the unmoving figures in sight. Fuu stood ready for combat, her arms raised and her legs apart. She looked over the surrounding dummies with a serious expression, allowing her overactive imagination to be of use for once.

Then, suddenly, she leapt into the air, heading straight for one of the fake Shinobi. She landed on its shoulders before giving a swift and tough kick to its head, made with the movement to leap back off of it. She somersaulted through the air while curled up into a ball, before slipping from her pouch a kunai. She landed on the ground and darted past the backs of two of the dummies, slashing across the place where their shoulder blades would have been. Then she leapt up into the trees, disappearing from view altogether.

"Wow…" Yagura muttered, his eyes wide with shock. He watched as Fuu returned to the field, and proceeded to attack the other dummies in a similar fashion of neck snapping, slashing and the likes. Yagura was astounded by her methods, they were beyond his expectations. "I can't believe it."

"Yeah." Utakata agreed, with an equally impressed look. He leant on the wall and folded his arms, staring with raised brows at the girl who was putting so much effort into her training. He too was amazed by the sight before him; this was something he had never before seen. "I'm surprised too… she's…"

"A complete idiot." they finished together. Fuu ran through the crowd with direct targets in mind, and attacked them either head on or in full view of the surrounding dummies. If that wasn't enough, her attacks had so many openings that both Yagura and Utakata were _pretty_ sure they could hit her from here. It was this stunning fact that left them in awe, could it be that they had found someone even less discreet than Naruto?

"It's like climbing a mountain." Yagura muttered, as a large drop of sweat gathered at his temple. He winced as Fuu overestimated herself, resulting in her tripping up on one of the fallen dummies and hitting the ground with a painful _thud_. "You never know quite how big it is until you're looking at it with your own two eyes."

Utakata chuckled inwardly, feeling slightly sympathetic to his little friend beside him. He turned away from the horrific excuse for a fight and headed over to the central unit, to pour himself a drink of water. "That's a pretty grand comparison don't you think?" he asked, as he took out a large and heavy plastic bottle to fill the glass that waited for him. He looked to Yagura from the corner as he poured, wearing a small smirk accentuated with calm but sharp eyes. "Does that mean you aim to overcome her?"

Yagura's fixed stare of Fuu was severed with those words as he suddenly whipped around to look at Utakata incredulously. Though he still gripped onto the sill, this time he had a more trapped in the corner look about him, something that wasn't often seen on him. "What the hell are you asking?" he demanded, well aware of Utakata's double meanings. The most obvious had been what came to his mind, hence the other rare occurrence of embarrassment appearing upon him. "What do you think Fuu is to me?"

Utakata lowered the bottle and picked up his glass, leaning lightly on the countertop as he gave Yagura a casual look. "I wonder about that…" he muttered, smiling coolly as he took a sip of his drink. Once more the subconscious question was raised as to whether or not he was just teasing, or if he really did have a sadistic tendency. "Or if you flip it around, just what are _you_ to _Fuu-chan?_"

"_What?_" Yagura asked, clearly jumping to conclusions. Unfortunately for him, those conclusions were exactly where Utakata wanted him to go; he was being toyed with like a cat with a spider. And the funny thing was that he knew very well this was the case. It was just like Utakata to do this sort of thing. "What are you implying?"

Utakata chuckled inwardly at just how flustered Yagura was getting right now. However he didn't really like being under an accusing stare, so he decided to put his games to an end. Placing his glass down, he gave Yagura an even more relaxed look than before, this one sincere. "Let me ask you, do you think Fuu-chan would have run off the way she did if it were me, or Naruto who said those things?" he asked, turning to face Yagura offhandedly. "Face it, if it was that case then she probably would have gotten mad, definitely if it was Naruto." he said, before another smile appeared on his face. "In case you haven't noticed; Fuu-chan seems to care very much about what you think of her."

Yagura's wide eyes lowered down as he gave a surprised frown to Utakata. His grip slackened and he seemed to faze out for a moment, caught seriously off guard by that announcement. "She does?" he asked, though this seemed to be rhetorical. After a moment of thinking he turned around and looked down at the girl in question, who had succeeded in already exhausting herself and was now taking a breather on her knees. Yagura's expression slowly slid into something more serious. "That's…"

Utakata watched Yagura closely, his eyes searching the back of the straw haired boy's head with a thoughtful look. He then closed his eyes, smirking to himself. Once he had drained the last of his drink, he turned around and made his way to the open door. "Just be gentle with her." he said, pausing at the doorway just long enough to say that. Then he disappeared into the hallway, leaving Yagura to his thoughts. The former Mizukage knew very well what Utakata was getting at, and for that reason his expression grew even more serious.

"Yeah…"

* * *

They had walked only about a quarter of a mile before coming to a stop, setting their sights on a strange place up ahead. There was an intersection of sorts in the valley, where the paths split off in two directions up ahead. However, rather than the twin paths, it was the interesting rock itself that had drawn the attention of Naruto, Deidara and Gaara. It consisted mostly of boulder for a good distance, before the plateau that was the intersection actually took place. The boulders however failed to reach anywhere near the top of the plateau, barely making it halfway even. It was at the top of these boulders that lay the place catching their interest; an opening to a cave that seemed to be releasing some sort of vapour or smoke.

"Yeah, that's gotta be the place." Deidara said, wearing the same odd smile he had before. He seemed almost nostalgic about it, even though he had apparently never been to this place before. With a wave of his hand, he gestured for Naruto and Gaara to follow him as he began to climb onto the boulders. "C'mon, we'll go in nice and friendly, yeah?"

Naruto and Gaara both silently complied, feelings of anticipation rising in their guts. That feeling never seemed to change; the wonder of just who would be lying in wait for them when they reached the end. They stepped onto the rough but steady boulders, taking high steps at some points and having to jump at other times. It was a pain, but Deidara knew better than them what to do here, so they were willing to go along with it.

"So this Han guy is in there?" Naruto asked, as he straightened up from landing on a particularly large rock. He found himself watching the cave warily, the vapour making him feel a little uneasy. The way it moved out in large but steady wisps made it almost seem like some beast inside was letting out hot and heavy breaths. He couldn't help but wonder what could create such a by product in those amounts.

Ahead of him, Deidara was also watching the vapour with great attention. He gave a slight nod of reply, before realising that probably wouldn't have been noticed. "Yeah, he's probably inside." he confirmed, as they reached the halfway mark. "He's not exactly a raving socialite. I doubt he leaves this place except for stocking up on the bare essentials and stuff… un."

Naruto glanced over at Gaara from hearing that. From the sounds of things, maybe this guy would be a little more familiar than he'd thought. However, considering how Gaara was, that wasn't necessarily a good thing at all. However, it _did_ manage to make Naruto grin, even if it was an out of place one.

"How strong is he?" Gaara asked, once more speaking after another long silence. Unlike Naruto and Deidara, his attentions weren't fixed on the cave so much as the plateau in general. It was obvious that he was thinking of how things would go if they got in a fight; he would at least have plenty of rock to turn into sand.

This thought was hindered however as Deidara looked back at them with a rather uneasy expression. Both of the other boys were frowning at him, sensing the edgy atmosphere that was gathering around the eldest of the three. "Seriously… _don't_ touch his workbench." he said, before turning his eyes back to the cave. Naruto and Gaara both glanced at each other; this definitely was going to be a tricky situation.

They reached the entrance to the cave, and were hit with a kind of heat that they hadn't experienced in a while; a humid kind that came with the dampness of the air. Quietly they stepped inside, the dogs behind taking positions on top of the plateau as their master disappeared. The dull gloom of the cave took them in, and their sweat no longer had any cooling effect.

They walked into the small cavern, light provided by small holes in the ceiling and walls that somehow caught the sun despite the distance between here and open air. As it was, narrow shafts of light came down from straight above so that even as they ventured deeper there was no trouble for sight. This was a fortunate thing, for not long after their entry to the cave, many interesting things caught their eyes.

Artwork of all sorts were lined across the walls, a mad menagerie of different creations and styles. There were paintings made of many different methods, some framed and others in the form of scrolls, each hanging on the stone walls of the cave. There were also sculptures of many shapes, sizes and materials. Stone statues and wooden works, marble models and bronze busts. The place seemed like a low maintenance gallery, bringing in artwork of whatever mould or make. Naruto and Gaara looked them over with unsurprising interest, while Deidara gave them a raised brow.

"Traditional stuff huh?" he mused aloud, a look half surprised and perhaps a little annoyed. It seemed that what he was seeing was unappealing to him, perhaps he wasn't fond of sculptures like these? "This doesn't fit him at all… guess this talk will be more interesting than I thought it would be."

Naruto, who hadn't noticed Deidara's words, continued to look at the sculptures with a slight feeling of awe. He doubted that anyone would be surprised to know, but his knowledge of artwork extended little past painting pretty pictures and other such things. But what he saw here was undeniable; the man who made these was obsessed. This became accentuated as the random statues of men and women changed, the men disappearing and the women becoming remarkably similar in appearance. One in particular made him stop in his tracks and step in for a closer look.

He wasn't quite sure what it was, it seemed like a painting, but instead of paint it was made of small flowers. It depicted a young girl, with dark flowing hair and lightly tanned skin. She was smiling peacefully with bright blue eyes, the strange, polished flowers making her shine. It was a peculiar sort of picture that had caught his eye, but soon he disregarded it as he saw Gaara and Deidara get ahead of him.

A strange hissing noise caught their ears, causing the three of them to suddenly look up. Something they had missed before, a long and thin metal pipe was attacked to the ceiling of the cave. It had blended in well, only the escape of some of the vapour that passed through it had made them aware of its presence. "Looks like he's getting into his work." Deidara muttered, before lowering his eyes to the tunnel, which curved off to the left not too far ahead. "We're nearly there… hm."

It seemed true enough, the quality of light was rising as they got further and further through the art filled cave. But not only that, there seemed to be a whirring sound of sorts that was steadily growing louder, like there was drilling being done or something like that. Naruto and Gaara both stared hard at the wall ahead, as if expecting the cave to provide the answers they were looking for. Though it was indirectly so, that was done to an extent as they came around the smooth curve that led them to the source of the noise.

The cave opened up into a slightly larger room, one that rounded off into a niche of a living space. To the left of the room there was what was essentially a cot of a bed, with a wooden crate lying just behind it. This room was also filled with statues made of different materials, all depicting the girl who had become the main focus of the strange gallery. And at the end of the room, there was a large steel workbench which the pipe connected to. It was this workbench that sat perhaps the strangest dressed person Naruto had met yet.

This person sat with his back to the tunnel, wearing strange red armour that covered his entire body. It was a ridged carapace-like material, shining and looking to be _very_ hard. There was an odd item that sat on the man's hunched back, a machine of sorts that resembled a mushroom. Steam lightly rose from four holes in this object, rising into the air and evaporating. On top of his samurai-like armour he wore a black kimono with torn sleeves, something that seemed rather a redundant thing indeed. Even his head was obscured by that armour, shaped like a large sedge hat with hanging around the back of his head. The sight was almost too much to take in, who would dress like that in a place like _this?_

Naturally, the only one not shocked by the appearance of this person was Deidara. With little to no hesitation, he stepped forward and cast his eyes across the room, studying the statues and paintings that filled it on every side. With an artistic eye like his, he couldn't help but take not of the growing irregularities that had come with the work all around. Were the earlier pieces were well detailed, these ones were lacking. The eyes of the statues were lacking definition, and the paintings were the same. Each of the pieces made of that girl were missing the eyes. Yet, in spite of these missing factors, he couldn't help but sense something exuding from the art around him. The passion that came with them far exceeded the earlier work; even though they were sculptures they managed to excite him a little.

"It looks like there's been a certain something on your mind." he said, announcing his presence to the man at the bench. The armour adorning person stopped his work, lifting his head to listen to the voice. Deidara turned his attentions from the artwork to this person, a cool smile spreading across his face. "Something troubling you, Han-sensei?"


	41. Mistakes of the past

Well at least I managed to get this chapter out relatively on time, it bugs me when I post late into the afternoon. I actually quite like this one, this is one of the times I'd been thinking about since early on in part 1. Now if I play my cards right, epic times may very well be just ahead.

Disclaimer: Place your bets, scrawny little teenager vs giant demonic monster! Ah hell, we all seen Devil May Cry 4, we know that don't mean much.

* * *

**Mistakes of the past**

"_Ha ha ha!" cried the children, their faces lit up with excited glee as they went about their little game. Five young boys, running around in ecstasy as they took their chances to kick at the other child huddled up on the ground before them. Out here in the darker cracks of the land, there was no one there to see them. "Get him, get him!"_

_The eyeless boys continued their fun with the crying boy, poking fun at the awkward appearance which instigated their cruelty. His almost completely shaved head showed faint blond hair, and his blue eyes were wide open as he tried to keep himself from yelling out at the top of his lungs. So far this had been the worst yet; these beatings had been coming on and off ever since he and his family had moved here. He had guessed it was a routine thing, to pick on the new kid. But he was becoming pretty sure that they were growing more brutal each time, just how long was this to go on?_

_Then, just as he questioned himself that, the children stopped. Uncertainly, he looked up at them, were they going to drop something on him? But rather than that, their attentions were drawn elsewhere, in a direction close to the village nearby. He looked up to that place, his gaze fixing on the silhouette a small distance away from where they were. Suddenly the five boys ran off, darting past the yelling form of the huddled boy's older sister._

"_Wait, get back here!" the older sister cried, whipping around as she tried to grab out at one of the boys. But they slipped past her grasp, fleeing back to the village of Tsuchigakure not too far away. For a moment she continued to call after them, but when she realised she was being ignored, she gave up. Turning around, she made to go to her little brother's aid. But to her surprise, her younger sibling hurried to his feet, before running off in the opposite direction. "Wait, Dei-chan!"_

_But Dei-chan ignored her, his tears nearly blinding him and the blood pumping through his ears keeping him from hearing much. But he did feel hot, and not the kind of hot caused by the sun. He was angry, and ashamed. _"Oneechan!"_ he thought, as his little feet pounded against the hard rock. _"Why are you here?"

_He was ashamed to be seen like that in front of his sister; that was why he had run all the way out here in the first place. But she must have gotten worried about him and come to see what was going on. But even though he was glad he was no longer being beat up, he felt even worse about himself now._

_He broke out from the valley out onto a ridge, opening out onto a grand seen of canyons and valleys below. But he scarcely noticed this; his mind was in too much of a flurry to really pay attention to that. He fell down onto his knees, and let out all his pent up anger in the form of punching the ground and screaming._

"_HAAAAH!" he bawled, as his fist struck the hard ground. He repeated those cries many times, his knuckles going numb and starting to bleed from repeated stress. But he didn't care, this was the only way he could let out all his anger. Punch after punch after punch, until the ground was stained by the blood of his hands. However, to his shock he was stopped by a rough hand; there was no way that was his sister. Looking up, his eyes widened in shock at the giant crouching next to him. "W-who are you?"_

* * *

Deidara smirked to himself as he let his nostalgia drift away. He settled his attentions back upon the person at the workbench, his old sensei Han. That giant kept his eyes dead ahead, but was listening closely as he waited for someone to speak. Since there was no reason to deny him that, Deidara decided to go on and start things off. "Either you've been getting sloppy, or you're getting old." he said, looking around the sculptures and paintings again. "These kinda look like Rei-chan, are you forgetting what she looks like or some-"

He was cut short however as Han suddenly got to his feet and whipped around. He held a small axe in his hand, one for chopping wood, against the side of Deidara's neck. There was no denying it; even though his face was half covered by a mask of that same armour, his livid magenta eyes were glaring at Deidara in a fit of rage. Naruto and Gaara, who had both made to stop him, froze in tension as he stood there, grand and foreboding.

There was a sweat to Deidara's brow, caused by the shock of the sudden assault. But this soon came to pass, though he still seemed nervous he managed a half cocked smile as he looked over Han's outstretched arm to his face. "Alright, guess I should have seen that coming, yeah?" he asked, before allowing his expression to relax to an unintimidated look. "Alright, I'll admit that was a little tactless. Hell, from what I understand, you probably blame me as much as you blame _him_, am I right?"

Han flinched as Deidara said that, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gave an accusing stare. After a moment's thought however, he lowered his axe and dropped it on the floor. But even in that case he was unwilling to let his guard down; his hands were balled up into fists as though he was trying to resist throwing them into Deidara's face. To distract himself, he turned his eyes over to Naruto and Gaara; it was clear he was wondering about this situation, even if the person directly in front of him was of greater concern.

"I suppose cutting to the point isn't gonna work." Deidara muttered, placing a hand on his side as he let out a deep sigh and closing his eyes. Then he stepped aside, raising his other hand to gesture to the two boys standing behind him. "These two are Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto." he said, before opening a single eye to look at Han blankly, but curiously. "They're both Jinchuriki, just like you."

Han glanced at Naruto and Gaara, his brow raised a fraction in mild surprise. But almost instantly his attention returned to Deidara, glaring fully at him once again. Naruto and Gaara couldn't help but look at each other; were they seriously being disregarded just like that? They watched the exchange between Han and Deidara; just what were they walking into?

"You don't mind this, right?" Deidara asked, his expression turning uncertain and sceptical as he folded his arms. For the first time he seemed to be showing something deeper than his usual attitude. Han seemed to notice this, but whether he cared or not was a complete mystery. "We get you out of Iwa, you help us out, and you can do what you like. Look for Rei-chan, whatever it is that you want."

If Deidara intended those words to convince Han, he was sorely mistaken. The tall Shinobi took a threatening step towards his former pupil, grabbing him by the cloak and literally lifting him off his feet. Deidara grabbed at Han's wrist, but the large nin's grip was much too tight for him.

"Alright, fine I get it!" he exclaimed, glaring back at Han for his roughness. Han didn't seem to be satisfied with those alone however, he tightened his grip further to make his point clear, something which seemed to succeed. "Look, Kirai is trying to hunt me down! He finds me, we find Rei-chan, how does that sound?"

Han hesitated as he heard this, words that made sense to him. His moment of slacking grip was enough for Deidara to knock his hand out of the way and get back on his own two feet. He then gruffly turned around and stepped past Naruto and Gaara, before pausing to look over his shoulder. "I get Rei-chan back, and you come with us, deal?"

Han, who had been staring at one of his nearby sculptures, turned his eyes over to Deidara. He studied his old pupil's face for a few moments, before giving a small nod of confirmation. Deidara returned the gesture, before he turned and headed out of the cave. Naruto and Gaara, uncertain of what else they could do here, turned around and followed him.

"Hey, what happened back there?" Naruto asked, as he and Gaara caught up with the fast walking Deidara. Both the Jinchuriki were caught in a state of confusion; hadn't they come all this way to convince Han to join them? Yet in this situation it seemed more like they were getting into a fight between him and some other people.

"He won't talk to us like this, it's no real surprise." Deidara explained, as they made their way towards the exit of the cave. He was speaking in a tone not very befitting of him; he was clearly in a foul mood from the reunion he had just had back there. "If he's like this, he'd probably have just attacked you from the start without me there. Luckily I can get him what he wants, so we've got a shot… hm."

This new was hardly encouraging to hear. Naruto knew that Iwa nin were renowned for their toughness, but this was more than he had expected. In retrospect his thoughts were probably naïve. He had been under the impression that the Jinchuriki were disloyal to their villages, and would take any chance to leave. But he supposed this case was true too; there could be other ties aside from village ones.

But for it to be like this… Naruto couldn't help but think it strange. The attack from Kirai, the person who has this Rei girl as a companion, wasn't that odd? First off, what were the odds of meeting someone so connected to their mission, someone they had before met by chance? This just seemed too irregular to Naruto, could that really be coincidence?

As they stepped out of the cave and into the sunlight, Naruto looked up at Akira and the others. They had gathered on the cliffs of the path they had previously walked, looking down at Naruto with lolling tongues. For some reason, Naruto recalled the time that he had been given the pups by the old dog Inudaibun. He remembered leaving a cave with those six puppies in tow, and looking out to see Kirai with that girl, that strange girl he recalled. _"How is it that they're here now?"_ he thought, as the three of them began descending the rocks.

"So what now?" Gaara asked, looking at the back of Deidara's head as they took off and leapt from boulder to boulder. Naturally he was facing none of the concerns that Naruto was facing, chances are he had either worked it out already or just didn't care. It was fortunate then, that he could at least focus on the task at hand.

"Before we can get him to even hear us out, I have to atone for a little something I did a long time ago." Deidara replied, looking back at the red haired boy with a flat expression. Both Naruto and Gaara had a feeling this was to do with that thing that Deidara hadn't wanted to talk about before; it must have been annoying for him then that it would be an issue now. "What we need to do is draw Kirai out into the open. We're gonna have to take him on if we want to get Rei-chan and Han."

Naruto, who was listening closely, thought for a minute about how they would go about doing such a thing. In all honesty he hadn't the slightest idea. When Kirai had confronted them it had been a rapid attack. Most likely then he would be trying a different approach; preparing a trap for them. "How are we gonna get him to come to us?" he asked, when he had given up his attempts of figuring it out on his own.

Deidara seemed to take a moment to think about that himself. He raised his hand and looked to it, watching as the slit opened up and the tongue inside lightly licked his palm. A slow smirk spread across his face as he got an idea, showing that expression to Naruto and Gaara as he looked over his shoulder. "We'll just have to give him an opportunity he can't resist." he said, with a keen glint to his eye.

* * *

Fuu slowly lifted herself from her knees to her feet, having finally caught her breath. She reached over and brushed the mud off her legs, mumbling to herself about being dirty. Her body was covered in a hot sweat and she was pretty sure she smelled. But she didn't want to stop training just yet; she would go on until she could go on no more.

"You know, not many people will survive for long if they have to stop for a breather like that."

Fuu looked behind her, her brow raised in surprise at the source of the voice. Yagura was walking towards her, his hands deep into his pockets and his eyes looking like someone who had only recently woken up. She quickly turned around to face him, slipping her dirty hands behind her back embarrassedly. "Morning Yagura-kun!" she called, smiling quite happily at him.

Yagura came to a stop as he drew a few metres from her, taking a closer look around at her handiwork. True enough, she had dealt considerable damage to the surrounding dummies, but that wasn't actually a good thing in this case. "Y'know, a good Shinobi can kill an opponent _without_ spilling blood all over the place." he said, as he slowly turned around to look at the wreckage. Quite a few of the dolls had been knocked to the ground, while others were in pieces. "You realise we'll have to waste time repairing these things right?"

"Huh… I…" Fuu murmured, before looking around herself. It took a moment for the full weight of this statement to hit her, and when it did it knocked off any feeling of self satisfaction she had gained from her vigorous training. "No way!" she complained, hanging her head and arms despondently.

Yagura cocked a brow at her, before he began walking again. As he moved past her, he raised his hand and lightly thumped her on the arm, surprising her into looking back up. "You were going about this the wrong way anyway." he said, glancing over his shoulder to the currently surprised Fuu. "If you're surrounded, the enemy isn't gonna just stand there while you cut them down. The idea is to take out as many as you can in a given time, before making an escape in another set time, that make sense?"

"Uh… I guess." Fuu replied, though her blank look suggested otherwise. She lightly touched the spot Yagura had hit her, but her attention was to his words. Now that she was being told it, she was annoyed that she hadn't seen it herself at the time. "So then… should I try it that way then?"

Yagura nodded, before taking a slow walk to a tree not far to his left. He turned around and leant against it, before gesturing for Fuu to head to the centre. She gave a quick nod before doing so, soon surrounding herself with the dummies once again. "Alright, you've got five seconds to take out as many enemies as you can, three to get out. Attack only with stabs, aim for the joints and neck."

Fuu nodded, showing she'd understood. While she picked out a pair of kunai from her pouch, Yagura readied to count down the seconds. He watched and waited as Fuu prepared herself, taking another deep breath before she continued training. But as soon as she was ready, she darted off fast, clearly wanting to waste no time.

Her first attack came when she ducked under one of the spread out arms of a dummy. With a quick movement, she stabbed it in the armpit before whirling around to the one on her left. She quickly wounded this dummy in the back of the knee, before running over to the next one. From the distance, Yagura regarded her with folded arms and a cocked brow. He could already see she was going to fail; she was making no effort to move close to the point of escape.

The seconds passed away, and right as the time for taking out enemies reached its end, Fuu predictably turned tail and headed for the quickest exit. She burst past the Shinobi towards the edge of the circle that had been drawn into the ground; the point of exit. However, just as she was about to make it out, several small things darted from above and forced her to stop. To her surprise, a small row of sharp looking twigs penetrated the ground just inside the circle, forcing Fuu to remain inside.

"What?" she thought aloud, looking up into the trees with a creased brow. However when Yagura cleared his throat, she looked around at him with a creased brow. To her surprise, he was fingering some thin strings that were tied to the root of the tree he was standing beside. One of them had been clearly severed, that must have been the cause of the sudden attack. "Yagura-kuun!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands down as she cried out to him. "Why didn't you tell me that would happen?"

"Cos the enemy wouldn't." Yagura replied, a short and simple answer. He straightened up off the tree and headed over towards her, walking with his arms folded and his eyes half closed. He reached her and crouched down, picking up one of the twigs between his fingers. "What made you think the only threats were inside the circle?"

He didn't need to look to know Fuu's expression. She missed vital points, but that was more naivety than anything. That could be worked on later. However her attacks were correct, she fluidly moved from one opponent to the next. That meant what she needed was not fundamentals, but experience. And that was something he could _definitely_ handle.

Letting out a sigh, he dropped the stick and rose to his feet. Looking out into the trees, he took a brief pause before a sudden idea came to mind. "Hey, Fuu." he said, looking over to his right to the listening girl. "I have a little request, you don't have to do it if you don't want to, but I think it'll be a good thing if you agree."

Fuu cocked her head curiously at Yagura; he had an odd look on his face that was an unusual mix of confidence and uncertainty that blended together into something of a cool excitement. He turned his head to look straight at her, meeting his eyes with her as a serene smile slid onto his face. "Let's go on a little trip, just the two of us." he said.

* * *

Nagato lifted his head as something caught his notice. He sat up from the pod chair he had been napping in, and looked through the faint purple light to the wall at the other side. The warm air had made him rather drowsy, even now he was half asleep and unable to determine the source of whatever it had been that had caused him to stir. However, after concentrating for a moment he came to realise that it had been his ring that had stirred him; someone was trying to contact him.

"What's going on?" he muttered to himself, as he looked at the glowing green ring. It was a pain that he would have to, but it looked like that would be all the rest he was getting for now. He got up to his feet reluctantly raised his hand into the ram seal as he allowed contact with whoever was calling him.

A moment later a ghost like form had appeared in front of him. It took a moment, but Nagato soon recognised it as Deidara. "Got something to report." Akatsuki's Iwa representative said, speaking in his usual casual but respectful manner. "We've located the Gobi Jinchuriki, but we've hit a snag. The Jinchuriki is reluctant to join, but not impossible to convince. Problem is, doing so will take a little time, and Iwa know where we are. I think we'll have company sometime tomorrow, un."

Nagato nodded his head slowly, taking in Deidara's words with surprising calm. He raised his eyes to the large light cover in the middle of the room, watching it as he ran a series of scenarios going with what Deidara had told him. "Well, I'm sure you can deal with this situation on your own." he said, as he returned his eyes to looking at Deidara. "But if he's still unwilling by the time you're done, take him down and bring him to Ame as alive as you can manage."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Deidara replied, slipping his hand onto his waist. It was clear that this wasn't the problem at hand; Deidara was good enough to deal with these sorts of things on his own. "But I think we can get him to agree. There's a person special to him who he wants to find. If we can get her, and ensure her safety, I think he'll be quite happy to come along."

"Well that doesn't have anything to do with Akatsuki, does it?" Nagato asked, a rhetorical question that wasn't missed. In this case it would be Yoinokuchi who would deal with this, since it was the Jinchuriki that was being dealt with. "However, in the case that we do need to bring the Jinchuriki here, I think it would be fine if we "hire" Yoinokuchi to protect this person you speak of."

Deidara chuckled faintly from that idea, looking off somewhere to his right. After a moment though, he decided there was nothing much else to say. "Alright then, I guess I have a busy day ahead of me." he grumbled rubbing the back of his head. "I'll get to it then, and report back when we're done."

Nagato nodded his confirmation, and Deidara disappeared once again. The red haired man gained a feeling of relief; at least it hadn't been as troubling as he'd thought it would be. With a sigh of relief, he allowed himself to slip back into the chair for another rest. There wasn't anything pressing at this moment anyway; cutting Yoinokuchi off from Akatsuki had given him surprising room to rel-

"**Are we interrupting?"**

Nagato's eyes snapped open, his knuckled halfway to his temple. "Of course not." he insincerely replied. From the floor appeared Zetsu, his creepy form rising like a sprung bear trap getting lifted out of the ground. The black and white Shinobi became a whole figure separate from the ground, but he sure wasn't easier to look at.

The white side of Zetsu had a thin smile on his face; Nagato clearly wasn't fooling him. The black side however was of course expressionless like always. "It looks like there may be some trouble ahead." the white side said, speaking ambiguously for his own enjoyment. "**Uchiha Sasuke is now moving to find Uchiha Itachi."** the black side continued, spoiling the white side's fun.

Nagato cocked a brow at this, all signs of tiredness suddenly gone. Like white Zetsu had had not but a moment ago, there was now a smile upon his face that also had a certain ambiguousness about it. "Is that so?" he wondered aloud, his eyes distancing as an odd sheen came to them. He took a moment to think to himself, before sitting up. "Fufufufu… keep an eye on him won't you?"

White Zetsu returned the chuckle, the two of them nodding their consent. They, like Deidara, had little much else to say and so chose this moment to leave. However when they were gone, Nagato made no further attempt to get rest. As it was, he doubted he could if he wanted to. Instead, he turned around to make for the door, deciding to-

"Konan?"

He hadn't noticed that his partner was in the room, standing by the door and watching him. She wore a blank, but curious look on her face as she looked back at him. "You seem oddly interested in this." she said, not making any effort to present herself further. "I didn't think the Uchiha really mattered to you."

Nagato let out another faint laugh, nodding in agreement to her words. She was sharp, but it wasn't like that surprised him. "Uchiha Madara was interested in those two." he replied, as casually as if he were talking about the weather. He stepped towards Konan as he spoke, coming to a stop not far in front of her. Looking up just a little, he smiled at her. "He knew more than he pretended; I need to find out just what that was."

Konan looked down at him, seeing sense in his words. But she naturally didn't like it; she seldom liked anything to do with the Uchiha. "You think Uchiha Sasuke is important to this?" she asked, as Nagato opened up the door and began to leave. But he stopped at that, taking a pause before he looked up at her with that same smile.

"…For some reason… I get the feeling that Uchiha Sasuke is the key to _everything._"


	42. Assault on the village's own

Ok, kinda taking a risk with this chapter. As a certain man named Stinger once said, my ego may be signing cheques my body can't cash... ok, maybe that's a little out of context, but I think you get my meaning. In any case, next chapter will either be fun as hell, or just plain hell. Guess I'll find out for myself huh? And with that, I give you my highway to hell... alright, that one was probably lame.

Disclaimer: KUH-YUU-BI! CAN'T SEE ME! SO I SAY! DIE KYUU-BI!

* * *

**Assault on the village's own**

The village was in full sight now, under the eyes of the shadows high above it. The half moon shone down on the grey community, casting it in a pearlescent light that put on the place an ethereal haze. Though the buildings were silent, it would be unsurprising if there were few people sleeping. Too much havoc had ensued too recently for people to rest easily even at this midnight hour.

However, that was soon to come to an end. The Village Hidden in the Rocks had received word from their fastest messenger, and with equal speed they had responded to that plea. But for the moment, there was only a scouting team in place for this operation. They watched the village with familiar eyes, ready and able to spot the slightest irregularity without faltering for a second.

One of the scouts, a man wearing a black balaclava and dark goggles, crouched down at the edge of one of the cliffs to the north west of the village. His uniform was fairly standard; black underclothes covered his entire length with his flak jacket being the only thing of any other shade. He scanned the village with his goggles, adjusting the dials at either side as the lenses zoomed in and out.

Raising his fingers to the button on his collar, he spoke into the microphone there with a clear voice. "Multiple targets; possible Bunshinjutsu." he said, as he watched the tiny identical figures flitting between buildings far below. They all certainly looked similar, much too uniform for even a Shinobi village. "Note; they each possess large blades. Stay out of close combat if possible."

"_Same targets at south side."_ called in another scout, her voice buzzing in over the earpiece of the scout in view. The other scouts called in too, giving much of the same notes. From the looks of things this was definitely a mass Bunshinjutsu of some sort. There was no way this many forces could sneak in undetected. _"It looks like they're gathering the civilians in one place."_

A bargaining chip then, or perhaps emptying the field. Whatever the case, it told them much about their enemy. For one thing they had anticipated the arrival of backup. To that end they had taken out all the forces present and were taking the villagers as hostages. And for another thing, they were _waiting for them._ There was no doubt in that; sneaking in would be tough.

"_Any identification?"_ called in someone. The scout peered in closer, trying to get a good enough look at one of the figures that were moving around down below. He just managed to catch sight of one of them; a blond boy in red clothing. Along with the others, he was one to voice his reply as a negative; he had no idea as to who that person down there was. _"Alright then, guess that's all you're good for."_

The scout suddenly reacted to those words, looking over to his earpiece uneasily. But before he could do a single thing about it, the ground in every direction around him erupted within moments he was in the grasp of a giant pale centipede, clutched tight with no room to move. He cursed to himself; the enemy had tapped into their transmissions?

"_I don't really get to say this enough, so let me have my moment here."_ came that same voice, now with noticeable amusement to it. The centipede holding onto the Shinobi was steadily growing hotter as something inside it reacted with dangerous volatility. Suddenly the scout realised who it was that was attacking the village, and let out a gasp of shock. _"Art… is a blast! KATSU!"_

* * *

Deidara looked out the stone window to watch a pair of the explosions off to the distance. He wore a peaceful smile on his face as he watched the flickering lights and the faint _poof_ of the carried sound. Iwa nin always covered each of the compass points when they were scouting somewhere, placing his little creations had been a piece of cake.

Now however, was where things became serious. He turned away from the sky and to the old wooden table he was sitting at. The oil lantern provided him with a fairly strong light, but he still needed to lean in close to study the map laid out before him. Glancing from the old piece of paper and down from the clock tower he had taken position in, he was devising the most probable routes that would be taken and could be used.

"_Man… I'm not really cut out for this type of planning."_ he thought, as he marked a spot on the map with a pencilled circle. There were a few other places marked with those scribbles, places that he would contact Gaara to check on. _"It's a whole lot easier be the one on the offensive than it is to be _defensive_… there's too much waiting involved, it's irritating."_

At this thought he couldn't help but chuckle; that sounded just like something his partner would have said. But then, if it had been his partner who was here instead of him, most likely Han would be strapped onto Sasori's back right now, regardless of whether his orders were to convince Han to willingly comply. It was a funny enough image, but somehow it also gave him an unsettled look. That really _was_ the kind of person he was partnered with… damn.

"_I'm gonna run out of juice soon."_ came Naruto's voice over the bulky handheld transceiver placed just beside the lamp. It was a brick of a tool, but its range spanned over the whole village, so it was handy in its own way. Naruto and Gaara each had one of the same, so the three of them could easily communicate with each other via the radio transmitter down by Deidara's chair. This way it was difficult to tap into since the devices didn't send out radial signals, but directed to the radio instead.

"What's your progress?" Deidara asked, picking up the transceiver to talk into it. He looked over the map to the square he had told Naruto to gather civilians. If everything was going ok, the majority of the villagers should be there, with Naruto's dogs standing guard. It would be troublesome if Naruto ran out of chakra though, had he misjudged what the Jinchuriki were capable of?

"_Hey, is it ok if we take some stuff from the stores?"_ Naruto asked, in an overly casual voice. Deidara faltered for a moment, what the hell was he talking about? But then his ears were hit with a loud slurping noise, one that made him move the transceiver away from his ear a little. _"Seriously, I need something hot. Who knew it got so cold at-"_

"YOU'RE NOT ON VACATION!" Deidara yelled, his eyes bugging out as he put the receiver as close to his mouth as he could manage. He was stuck up here in a dusty room while he was taking his fill of who knew what? That was definitely something that pissed him off. "GET BACK TO WORK!"

* * *

Naruto winced, pulling the walkie talkie from his ear as he heard Deidara's yells. He held in his other hand a large paper cup which had once contained hot tea, but was now empty. With a sigh, he slipped the transceiver back into his pouch and discarded his cup over his shoulder as he moved towards the next building. He could faintly smell the smoke of a candle or lantern; it was clear that someone was hiding their presence.

He stepped through the stony street placed on top of another, larger building, following the scent that his nose picked up. It took him to a door not too far from where he had been standing; the smoke smell was definitely strongest here. Raising his hand, he rapped upon the old wooden door half heartedly, wondering why he was even doing this in the first place. "Yo, any civvies in there?" he asked, in the vain hope that this would be simple. Of course though, he was given no reply.

With a sigh, he decided that he would have to try the next method. Placing his hand upon the wood, he pulled out some chakra and changed its nature, until he had created the fundamentals for his Fuuton: Wind Palm. Then he released it in one shot, spreading the chakra throughout the entire door. As expected, the door was reduced to splinters in moments, and he was stepping in as if there had never been a door in the first place.

"I'm coming in!" he called, as if there was any need to do so. The first thing he did was look to his right, fixing his eyes on the middle aged man standing in his pyjamas. The much older man looked at Naruto with panic stricken eyes, a work hammer gripped above his eyes as he stood frozen. The forced entry had taken him off guard, and in that moment the hammer slipped from his sweaty hands. Unfortunately, this caused it to land straight on his balding head. With a faint gasp, he collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness from his own attempt at self defence. _"… Wow!"_

Naruto shook his head as he stepped in further to the room, looking around with half closed eyes. He fixed his gaze upon the ceiling as he heard a dull _thud_; it looked like there were more people hiding up there. For a moment he considered just taking the ceiling out, but he had been instructed to bring the civilians in in one piece. So reluctantly, he left the foyer and headed to the hallway to the right. It was here that he found the staircase which he then began to ascend.

"Kaachan, I-"

"Hush!"

Naruto cocked a brow as he reached the next level; he didn't need to remember where he'd heard the thud anymore. With silent steps he made his way through the cold, dark hallway towards the room that the sounds came from. Without the desire to add emphasis or such, he simply pushed the door open and awaited any attack that may come as a result. When none came however, he entered the room and looked around.

There in the corner sat a mother with two young children; a boy and a girl. They were huddling away from Naruto with a fearful look, possibly wondering what had happened to the man downstairs. Naruto however didn't really care about this. However, the terrified children _did_ make him a little uneasy. "Hey, everyone's gathering down at Hitojichi Square." he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder indicatively. "Think you guys could head over there as well?"

They seemed reluctant however, though Naruto was hardly going to blame them. The mother spread her arms out as she kept her children back, her worried face doing what it could to keep strong. "W-why?" she asked, making up for her faltering voice with a clear tone. "Why can't you leave us be?"

"Kaachan, I'm-"

The mother snapped her head back, strictly hushing her daughter in a much fiercer tone than she could give to Naruto. The blond boy let out a sigh; he was really starting to get tired. What was more, a couple of Kage Bunshin had been dealt lucky shots and were gone. It was really difficult to keep going when he was using so many. So in this case he tried his best to keep from being violent. He took Eko from his back and placed it against the wall, before taking a couple of steps forward and crouching down so that he was eye level with the mother.

"Look, this is only for a little while." he said, trying his best to sound unintimidating in spite of the eyes fixed upon the Ekokaeten. He returned the attention to him with a snap of his fingers, causing all three of them to flinch at the sudden noise. "Pretty soon there're gonna be a lot of things happening here. No one knows you're here, so if something happens, you and your family will be in danger. You don't want that to happen, I'd suggest you get over to Hitojichi Square with everyone else."

Still unwilling, the mother backed a little further into the corner. However in spite of the situation this made her children uncomfortable; they squirmed as they tried to loosen themselves from their mother's hold. "Where's tousan?" asked the son, as he pushed his way out of his mother's grasp.

That question struck the mother. And she looked at Naruto in shock. Naruto however, gave an apologetic grin back to her. "Yeah, he kinda got a little overexcited." he explained, pointing downstairs with a faint chuckle. "He knocked himself out, so you might wanna wake him up."

Their situation was forgotten for a moment as all three of them, the mother and her children, gave an exasperated look that suggested they were less than surprised. Naruto chuckled again before getting to his feet and picking Eko back up. "Anyways, don't get lost or you'll probably get hurt." he said, as he began to make his way out. "See ya."

And with that he left the house. From here on out it was up to them; he wasn't gonna hold their hands to get there. In fact, right now he had other priorities. It seemed that somewhere at the eastern part some of the villagers had ganged up. Strong though he was, he was pushing two hundred Kage Bunshin after a very long day. If he wanted to subdue them without causing injury, he'd need to give it the personal touch. _"What a pain." _he thought, as he leapt up to the nearest rooftop.

* * *

Hitojichi Square was a swarming mass of people, all looking fearful and worried of the state of affairs. Many heads turned this way and that as they searched through the light of the blazing torches placed along the walls of the surrounding buildings. This place, which was most commonly used for festivals and the likes, was now filled with more people than it had seen in many years. In this case however there were no sounds of merchants selling their wares, or of any shows to entertain giving air. What instead came were the fearful whispers and calls of people looking out for one another.

There was another sound too, one that came to he whoever dared venture outside the square. Whenever that happened, the offender was treated to a deep snarl that soon had him retreating back into the midst of the crowds. Whatever beasts lurked in the depths had no qualms with letting people inside the square. But leaving it seemed was a different matter altogether.

The scene below was watched by unsympathetic eyes; Gaara took on full command of this place. He sat cross legged atop the roof of the only other place that served to provide the village with security; the police station. Inside there the officers of the village were locked in the prison cells, unable to do their duty in their current state. Some were badly wounded; those who had resisted had been dealt with. It was for that reason that the rest were silent, obeying the whim of the invaders reluctantly.

Gaara took in several calming breaths as he witnessed the timid fear of the village, who were quickly losing space to move. It had been calculated that this place was big enough to fit them, but that was yet to be proven. In any case, he was much too busy to pay it any serious thought. His gourd was missing from his back. He could only be doing something that required much sand then.

Beside him appeared the tired figure of Naruto, crouched down and watching the masses with an uneasy expression. Well, to say this was Naruto wasn't entirely accurate. Most likely it was a Kage Bunshin that had come in his place. "Yo." the copy said, his breathing a little heavy from effort. He looked over to Gaara, who had moved his eyes to the visage of his single friend. "Things going ok over here?"

Gaara gave a nod of reply. He could understand the strain Naruto was putting on himself even if he wasn't complaining about it. He too was feeling the stress of his actions. "We'll need to act carefully, or else they may start acting unwisely." he said, as he recalled whispers among the crowds of Iwagakure coming to help them. Another Kage Bunshin had already helped with that, putting on a henge and spreading word of the destroyed aviary and planting seeds of doubt amongst them. "They're still talking."

The Kage Bunshin Naruto grumbled to himself, reflecting the same weariness that Gaara was feeling about this situation. Neither of them even understood Deidara's plan; they were acting completely on his word alone. And considering how much of what had happened so far was a result of Deidara withholding certain details, or acting unnecessarily, their faith in him was rapidly dwindling. "If this doesn't work, I'm _so_ picking a fight with that guy." the copy murmured, hanging his head low.

"If not for him, we'd probably be looking in the completely wrong place." Gaara replied, though he was clearly loath to admit so. Deidara had gotten them this far at least, so maybe it wasn't too much to ask that they had a little faith in what he was capable of. "I'd rather not use forceful measures to get Han to come with us. If it does come to that, then _something_ will have to be done."

Naruto's clone chuckled dryly to this, before he straightened up. From where they stood, they were only slightly noticeable by the masses. If the crowds really did panic and run off, Gaara would be the only one who could stop them. Acknowledging that, the Kage Bunshin decided he had interrupted him long enough. "Guess I'd better get back to work." he said, as he turned to leave.

"Hold on." Gaara said, looking again at the clone from the corner of his eyes. Naruto's copy faltered, looking curiously over his shoulder to the real him's close comrade. Gaara closed his eyes for a second, putting off his words until he was ready. "If the case ever comes that I lose control like that again… I won't hold it against you if you use any means necessary to stop me." he said, keeping his eyes anywhere but to the person he was speaking with.

The fake Naruto blinked at Gaara in surprise, misinterpreting his words for a moment. But then he realised what the quiet boy was saying, and couldn't help but have a grin slip onto his face. "Sure, no problem." he said, accepting Gaara's request to stop him if an incident ever occurred again. Then, so not to embarrass Gaara any further, the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke and left him be. Last needed preparations needed to be taken care of, before the conflict that was to come

* * *

The sun had yet to rise, but its influence was coming across from the east. The sky had turned a steely blue, paler on one side and darker on the other. The moon had long since disappeared, and the sounds below had finally settled into a quite muttering. The people of the now desolate village were huddled on the ground getting whatever rest they could, sleep made impossible to them by their own nerves.

The three instigators for this village's distress stood atop the police station watching the inhabitants of the place that would not too long from now stage the first battle ever to come to it. Each of them was covered in a warm, sticky sweat from the amount of time, effort and chakra that had been put into this plan. "Looks like things are gonna be heating up soon." Deidara said, smirking down to the crowds that sometimes glanced up at them.

Naruto shared none of his fellow blonde's enthusiasm however. He wasn't the sort that enjoyed herding people in like sheep, he'd much rather leave them be and have them leave him be as well. "When are these guys gonna get here?" he asked, trying to ignore the cries of the children wanting to get back to their homes.

Deidara let out a short chuckle to that question, finding humour in the simple boy's naivety. "Naruto-chan, they're already here!" he quietly announced, waving his hand off to the distance. Naruto and Gaara raised their eyes to the horizons, and the two of them shared the same reaction. Their eyes widened on shock, and even Gaara's ghostly skin paled.

They were surrounded, quite literally, by a horde of Shinobi. Everywhere they looked they could just barely make out the signs, but they were impossible to deny now that they knew what they were seeing. Tiny shimmers all around them indicated more than a mirage; they were already under the sharp eyes of possibly dozens of enemies.

Naruto, growing quite stressed from the sights around him, turned on the spot to Deidara. Taking the barely older man by surprise, he was grabbed by scruff of the neck and pulled in to a bewildered glare. "WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" he demanded, his yells startling the people down below. If it wasn't clear that trouble was brewing, there would be no way of hiding it now.

"You should have made these intentions clear from the start." Gaara said, his normally uncaring stature disappearing by the dreadful revelation faced upon him. He too was about ready to beat Deidara to death, if not for the fact that that would only lose them a fighter in this scenario. "Just how do you plan for us to deal with this?"

Once more Deidara chuckled, showing his difference in opinion by the relaxed look upon his face. "You guys are way too uptight." he said, spreading his arms out from side to side in a manner much too nonchalant for him to really be in his right mind. "Trust me, this is definitely going to work out, so just relax yeah?"

He brushed Naruto's hands away, before turning to face the crowds down below. People were now staring at the three of them, wondering if maybe things were going to get better or worse. Their thoughts mattered little though, since they were just to ensure that the _whole_ of Iwagakure wouldn't come for them after this.

With that in mind, Deidara drew all of their attentions by raising his hands into the air. "HEY EVERYBODY, CAN I HAVE A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME?" he requested, almost laughing out loud from his own audacity. When he was sure he had the entire village's undivided attention, he spoke so that all could hear him. "WHAT YOU'RE ALL ABOUT TO WITNESS IS SOMETHING YOU WILL ONLY GET SEE ONCE. SO ALL OF YOU PLEASE GIVE YOUR FULL ATTENTION, AND I'LL SHOW YOU ART THE LIKES YOU WILL NEVER FORGET, YEAH?"

"_Holy shit… I think this guy is actually out of his mind!"_

Those were exactly the thoughts going through Naruto and Gaara's minds right now. Eko had it right; things were definitely going to hell. But they had to hand it to Deidara; this new prospect was enough to give both of them an adrenaline rush that almost completely filled their stamina. If ever they were going to have a fight for their lives, this was most definitely a fight like that.

"_All right Naru… calm down."_ Naruto thought, almost shivering from the self given nickname. He turned away from the crowds and took in a deep breath, allowing his thoughts to take him somewhere else. _"Think about it… what would Kisame-sensei do if he were here?"_

Suddenly he paused, his brow rising as something came to mind. The glee stricken look of his sensei's face was almost tangible before his eyes; if he pushed it to a stretch he could even see Kisame rubbing his hands together. The image alone was enough to cause him to grin, the words that he conjured to go with them made him laugh straight out.

"_An army for little old me?"_ the imaginary Kisame said, is tiny eyes twinkling with a joyful glimmer. _"And I didn't even get anything for you!"_

Deidara and Gaara both watched with strange looks as Naruto began giggling to himself, gripping his sides as he hunched forward. The pair glanced at each other with raised brows; it seemed sanity was in low supply today. "Uh… Naruto-san?" Deidara called, wondering if perhaps the younger boy had snapped under the pressure.

"Hey… hey…" Naruto gasped, looking over his shoulder amidst laughs. His eyes were brimming with tears, and he wore a grin that would soon cause his cheeks to ache if it were to keep going. But he seemed nowhere close to stopping; in fact he looked about ready to double over. "I get the feeling when you Akatsuki guys were teamed up, you and sensei were kept apart for a reason!"

It was then that Naruto really did overdo it, falling down to his knees as his laughter turned silent from lacking breath. However his words had at least had an effect; Eko for one was quite invigorated by them, and even Gaara seemed to have relaxed some. The only one not to make much of a change in mood was Deidara, though he did wear a smirk at the concept of him and Kisame working together.

"Well then, guess its settled." he said, as he turned back to face the whispering crowd. All of them were steadily growing more and more worried. None of them had any doubts about the mental states of their captors; they believed that at least two out of three were downright insane. "Looks like you'll either make your sensei proud, or go to a place where he can't yell at you for screwing up."

After a few seconds, Naruto finally managed to exert some self control. His laughter subsided, and he managed to get back to his feet. But he was still grinning broadly, allowing himself to become short sighted enough to see nothing more than the fight ahead, and how he would almost definitely end up tearing the entire place to shreds. "Let's do this!" he called, pumping his fists at either side of him. As his heart pounded harder and harder, the blood pouring through his entire body at a breakneck speed, his eyes turned to that scarlet shade that signified one thing; Uzumaki Naruto was going to war.


	43. Landslide

I know I set myself up in the last chapter for something incredible, so I hope I managed to follow through. I won't go too into it in case something spoils it, but it looks like I'm gonna need another chapter for this battle. Ah well, no big deal. I thought of something interesting, so I'm not gonna be pressed for ideas or anything like that. Also, forgot to mention in the last chapter, so I guess I'll do it here. Hem hem, this chapter now marks the one hundred and first chapter of The Daemon of Pein, a feat even I am shocked to have accomplished. Nevertheless, yay!

Disclaimer: Did anyone else's heads hit their desk at the end of chapter 497?

* * *

**Landslide**

All was silent in that little village, watched under the eyes of hawks bearing down on their prey. The desolate streets were devoid of all life, the air filled with the sort of choking contempt that would drown anyone who had yet to harden their hearts to such things. A dry and dusty wind blew on past, its breeze bitter and obstructive in this arid arena. But with no one to witness it, the scene was as well as unnoticed.

However, there was one oddity in this gradually warming place, something that was almost dismissed as mirage. Here and there the shadows flickered uncomfortably, as if the darkness itself was hindered by the atmosphere weighing down upon it. It seemed almost like fire, but lacking any smoke. The shades shimmered and passed, free of the restraints of tangibility or corporeal things. But even they weren't ignorant to the threatening smell in the air, lying behind the corners ahead of them.

Then there came a sound, one that rang through every gloomy street like someone had struck an immense gong. Deep within its heart came an eruption of such fearsome power that rattled the very bones of the village into a state of paralysis. The cause became clear in no time, as all eyes settled upon the same place.

It was almost as if a volcano really had erupted right there and then. But in place of lava and magma came a gargantuan geyser of sand, dashing for the sky like the earth itself was seeking the clouds. Soon there came a rain of dust as said sand doused everything, covering the rooftops of the buildings with a fine layer. But this sand served another purpose; one not quite so conventional if such a term could be applied to the scenario. With the desert, there came a plague of locusts.

The fierce little creatures flew upon the village limits, their pale bodies flitting around with tiny wings. They appeared like no insect commonly found; one could swear they weren't in fact real insects at all. However they weren't immediately noticed until they started getting to their job. Soon all of the shadows were swarmed with those bugs, and with them came flickering lights as they exploded.

Suddenly there was a panic as the shadows were shattered and their ghostly illusions faded. Figures darted away from the minute enemies, throwing shuriken vainly in an attempt to rid themselves of their pursuers. The Iwa Shinobi were present, accounted for, and running for their lives.

The situation, however deadly though it seemed, was far from at its peak however. Soon after the booming explosion of sand, there came another sound that made the Shinobi all look in the same direction. Moments later, they were treated to a sight that would shake any survivors for days to come. A monsoon of identical enemies were raining down on them, over a hundred blond boys in red clothing, wielding blades almost as big as their bodies.

"OOOOOOOH!" cried the doppelganger army, charging at full speed. Either they were in a furious frenzy or were out of their minds, but all of them seemed to be completely disregarding Shinobi method and instead chose to make a straight on attack instead.

The Iwa Shinobi came to a stop at this, looking to both sides. They had to choose between the exploding locusts and the Bunshin legion, their time fast running short. But then a few of them managed to react in time, moving to the outer sides and forming rapid hand seals before quickly touching the ground below. "Doton: Earth Dome!" they called, pulsing their chakra into the rooftop they stood upon. Soon the ground shifted to their whim, walls rising to either side of them. Those mounds then curved over, until the group of Shinobi were completely hidden inside.

The locusts landed on the dome, gathering in numbers until the left side was almost completely covered. Then as one they all exploded, causing a bright light and wave of radiating heat that almost struck the group of identical Shinobi that landed on that same rooftop. However, the cleared smoke revealed the dome to be almost untouched despite the assailant bugs' efforts. Then it was left to the group of Naruto's, seven of them that had surrounded the right hand side of the dome and wasted no time.

Darting across the rooftop, the group covered all four corners while the other three took care of the centre. Then, at one time, they threw their hands down to the ground and called out at the top of their voices. "FUUTON: REPPUSHO!" was their yell, and of course their chakra obeyed. The force of those seven blasts, though substantially weaker than they would have been without the mass of Naruto's in the background, was enough to have the desired effect. The ceiling cracked beneath the pressure and within moments it caved in. As predicted, the Shinobi inside the dome had been quick to abandon their makeshift shield in favour of the floor beneath them. Unfortunately for them, they were crushed as a result.

Among the seven Naruto's, the real one straightened up and looked behind him. Limbs and the likes were poking out from the rubble of the collapsed roof, each of them clearly belonging to the Iwa nin. If not for how pumped he was feeling right now, he would probably have had _some_ reaction to the mangled corpses behind him. But as he was, he barely noticed.

"_I can't believe we're stuck distracting the diversionary squad."_

For once in what was a very rare situation, Naruto failed to agree with Eko's battle hungry thoughts. Though it was definitely true that in normal circumstance Eko was the more aggressive of the two, during times like these not even the blade's longing for a fight could measure to the sheer enthrallment Naruto had in the war going on around him. He was almost a reflection of his sensei like this, something which Eko _greatly_ appreciated.

"Come on!" Naruto called, looking around at the Kage Bunshin behind him. Now was about time to do it; he was sure his flashy appearance would by now have served his purpose. With but a moment of hesitation, one hundred and twenty four Kage Bunshin dispersed, casting a cloud over the village that would confuse all who was in the vicinity at the time.

That turned out to be a mistake. The flood of memories coming from those dozens upon dozens of clones hit him in one massive clash, causing his head to spin and his balance to fall underneath him. In that state, he couldn't even comprehend his own recklessness; he was much too disoriented to do even that. Gripping Eko in one hand, and his head in the other, he raised his head to try and regain perspective of his surroundings.

"Man… that was weird." he murmured, as he pushed himself back to his feet. Taking a moment to regain balance, he looked over his shoulder to the Kage Bunshin behind him. But to his surprise, he was all on his own. _"Huh?"_ he thought, frowning as he looked around him. It took a moment for him to make sense of it, but he soon realised that those Kage Bunshin too had dispersed, and he was once more the only Uzumaki Naruto. This thought was troubling however; he hadn't intended for _those_ copies to disappear.

"_Oh shit… Naruto, look at me."_

Blinking in confusion, Naruto raised the blade to eye level. It was there that he was met with a shocking sight, one that he hadn't been expecting in the least. His eyes, his face, everything that changed from the Kyuubi's chakra. There was nothing of it, just plain old Uzumaki Naruto. _"What?"_ he thought, taking a startled step back that almost caused him to trip over on a loose rock. Why was it like this, why was the Kyuubi's chakra gone from him?

"_It looks like cancelling all those clones fried your brain. Think you can change again?"_

However the blade asked, Naruto was already trying to do just that. But for some reason he couldn't build up the feelings he had gathered not so long ago, the ones that had triggered his initial state. It felt almost as if he couldn't get angry if he wanted to. The mere thought of that alone caused him to worry considerably. _"Wait wait, hold it!" _he thought, stabbing Eko into the ground and slapping himself on the face with both hands. Nihilism would get him nowhere; he needed something serious if he was going to stay focused in this dangerous situation. Something, _anything_ would do, as long as it gave him that which he needed.

Then suddenly it came, something soft yet radiant with force. Behind him the sun was finally beginning to rise, shining its fierce light across the brightening horizon. It was this light that shone the silhouette of a man; one that most definitely wasn't Naruto's. Grabbing Eko in hand once more, the blond boy whipped around to face the person behind him, before freezing in shock.

Was that… was that really who he thought it was? That hair, tied back into a long ponytail, and the pale skin to match. A body not much older than Naruto's, yet an expression that showed a snide arrogance that belonged to only one person he knew of. But to be dressed in an Iwa uniform, was that really Hyuuga Neji?

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he studied that somewhat familiar face. No, now that he gave it closer inspection her realised that the person over there was not who he thought it was. The eyes were a murky brown, with clearly defined pupils. The Iwa headband covered what would have been the other clue, but there was no need for it now; Naruto realised he had made a mistake.

But still, that single, ephemeral moment of misunderstanding had a phenomenal effect upon him. Hyuuga Neji, of course that was right. He was the person Naruto had vowed to defeat, wasn't he? _"So what am I doing worrying about something as stupid as this?"_ he thought, as a smile played across his sweating face. That smile widened, and soon he was grinning determinedly once again. _"The hell I'm gonna let this place get the better of me, not when that asshole is still breathing!"_

"_You _do_ realise that's not him right?"_

Ignoring Eko's cynicism, Naruto took the blade in hand and charged at the man who resembled his target. Reaching the man in little to no time, he gave out a hard horizontal swing that would have utterly destroyed solid stone. But to his surprise, the man didn't try to dodge. In fact, he _blocked_ the attack with a weapon of his own, something he had pulled out from behind him. It was a strange, short pole with a thin blade down one side. That blade was what had managed to block Eko and almost stop it in its tracks. As it was, the Shinobi wielding that weapon was pushed a few feet to his right, before putting his full weight into going no further.

"_Not bad, this guy has some strength behind that skinny body."_

Naruto was naturally inclined to agree, since the Shinobi had managed to do so with just one hand. With his other he pulled out another, identical weapon which, judging by the identical way the blade cut off, seemed to be the other half of that which he was using defensively. With this other weapon he slashed down at Naruto, aiming to take his arms clean off. Naruto however managed to anticipate the attack and do something few swordsmen would ever try.

Taking one hand off of Eko, Naruto turned on the spot. His back rolled across the blade of Eko which stayed against his opponent's weapon, until Naruto's arm could allow it not more. When that time came, he pulled the blade off and with his continued movement, brought it around with great might. The giant blade sung as it was whipped around and brought to the opponent's back; should it make contact there was no doubt the fight would be over. However this attack was much too flashy to be effective, and the result was said Shinobi leaping out of the way.

"In this battle, there are only so many movements I shall allow you to have." the Shinobi said, as he landed on the high ground once again. He turned to face Naruto with a condescending expression. It was clear even to the often dense Naruto that this man had already decided the outcome of the battle. "I would advise against wasting them."

Naruto looked at the Shinobi with a raised brow, his grin falling for a moment. But it soon came back in full force, along with a chuckle that also seemed worryingly like a growl. "I'm glad." he said, as he placed his free hand back onto Eko's hilt and held the blade to his side. "You don't just look, but you even _talk_ like that bastard. Sorry, but I got some steam I need to blow off, and you're the perfect guy to do that with."

The Shinobi's eyes narrowed at Naruto, his egotistical expression fading as his face became hard. He raised his weapons before him and proved Naruto right. With a slight push, the two flat ends connected and formed a staff about half as tall as he was. He whipped the weapon around his body with expert command, either showing off or warming up. But if there was any intent to intimidate Naruto with it, then it definitely failed. With another chuckle, the blond boy ran straight for the Shinobi, with his opponent doing much the same.

* * *

"Wow, looks like you were right." Deidara said, as sweat formed at the back of his head. He stood high in the sky, on top of a clay owl that hovered in the air. His left eye was covered with his telescopic device, which was zoomed in on one location in particular. "I can't believe it; our _distraction_ got sidetracked by the _diversion_ squad. Damn, that isn't even funny… hm."

Beside him, Gaara watched the scene as well, though his perspective was much lacking in comparison. The smoke field caused by the rapid dispersal of the Kage Bunshin was gone, and now everything was clear in sight once again. Though it wasn't in great detail, he could make out Shinobi moving down below. But those apparently were still the diversionary squad; the real forces were well out of sight.

"Still, you were also right about that other thing." Deidara continued, as he fixed his gaze upon Naruto's opponent. A smirk spread across his lips as he watched that person, a feeling of nostalgia rising inside of him. "To be able to find the most dangerous person in the area, even by accident. That's what you said, right?"

Gaara gave a nod of reply, his attention returning to the person in question. So then that theory was true after all, which meant that once more Naruto had gotten himself into unnecessary trouble. "Who is that person?" he asked, faintly being able to see the two figures dancing around the rooftop down there.

"That guy is a Tokubetsu Jounin straight from Iwa's Research and Experimental Division." Deidara explained, as he removed his telescopic device and slipped it back into his pouch. Even though he could no longer clearly see, he continued to watch the two fighters with interest. "See, Iwa isn't like the other nations. It likes to play about with its Kinjutsu. Heck, these things on my hands started off as a means to hide weapons _inside_ a person's body.

"But this guy… well he was a little more complicated than that." he continued, looking at the slits on his hands with a wistful expression. "They call him "Edo no Kougai", but his name is Kyonshi Kougai. He's Iwa's top assassin for a reason… heh heh heh."

Gaara watched as Deidara ran his hand through his hair, looking quite relaxed for someone who had created a massive situation like this. He wasn't worried about Naruto, but what Deidara was saying was catching his interest. "What is his ability?" he asked, as the clay owl began moving once again, moving to circle the outskirts of the village.

"Eh, don't worry about it." Deidara said, shrugging lightly and giving a small wave to his left. Gaara stepped off of the once more stationary bird, using sand to keep himself suspended in the air. When he was off, Deidara crouched upon his bird as he prepared to take off at high speed. "If Naruto-san is half the swordsman Kisame brags about, then _that_ shouldn't really be a problem. You just worry about your part. And it's probably time to put _them _away too, yeah?"

With that he took off, leaving Gaara alone to his situation. The red haired boy looked over his shoulder to the people his departing mercenary was referring to. He was more than certain this would cause chaos, but in doing so it would at least allow the dogs to help out too. And so he reached out, spreading his fingers so that the place the villagers were being kept was hidden behind his hand. Then, with a sudden move, he clenched his fingers into a fist.

Though it was hard to see, something similar to the previous eruption of sand occurred. Rather than throwing things into the air however, sand _underneath_ Hitojichi Square rapidly moved out of the way, resulting in the square itself sinking several metres lower than it was before. By the time the technique was done, the entire square had become like a giant, roofless room. And unless the villagers were willing to climb on top of each other, they weren't going to get anywhere fast.

"_Well, that is up to them."_ Gaara thought, as he removed his attentions from that now disinteresting place. He looked down to the point directly beneath his platform of sand. Deidara had dropped him off at about a quarter of a mile above the ground, at a very important place indeed. For right beneath him was the place where most of the cracks and fissures that filled the village intersected. It was this place that would act as his target, while Deidara served the job of herding the Shinobi to that place. So to get to his task, Gaara allowed the sand to crumble, and himself to drop from the sky. Even as he turned through the air, his head directing to the ground while his feet to the sky, he folded his arms and fixed his eyes upon his destination. _"Let those who survive dictate who has the right to."_

* * *

"_Damn it, what're his weapons _made_ of?" _Naruto thought, as he swung Eko around full circle. The man who had announced himself as Kyonshi Kougai, for whatever self important reason he had had, was blocking and countering Naruto's earth shattering attacks with such fluidity that his offences and defences were almost one in the same. It seemed almost as if he was merely moving Eko out of the way while he made his attacks, as ludicrous as that seemed. _"Well forget about it, if it's a fight for who'll last then there's no competition!"_

He smirked to himself, privately thanking the mass amount of stamina granted to him by the Kyuubi. However that wasn't the only granting factor, much of what he was doing was on his own willpower. Tired though he may be, he barely noticed it as he avoided the stabs and slashes that the Iwa Shinobi was making. His confidence was enough to make him believe that he could go on for days like this, no matter what logic dictated. And so to that end, he put his attentions to analysing his opponent, taking care not to mistake him for Hyuuga Neji again.

"Gah!" he cried out, as Kougai got in a lucky cut to his side. The injury itself wasn't deep, but what annoyed Naruto more than that was the long slash that was left in his haori as a result. With a quick hand he grabbed onto the enemy's staff and pulled on it, intending to counter with the anger he felt for his very, _very_ expensive piece of clothing.

But to his shock, no matter how he pulled his opponent did not draw closer. Yet at the same time, both held strong grips on either side of the staff. What happened instead was that the staffs _extended_, a short length of chain coming out from the place they had joined. That caught Naruto by surprise; just how many tricks were there to these damn things? But before he could give it much more thought, Kougai took advantage of his weapon's new form and Naruto's distraction to run in, turning the section of staff he was holding to strike Naruto with it.

"Vanish." he ordered, as he brought the bladed side up to cut a vertical line into Naruto's flesh. The blond boy's eyes widened in shock as the blade touched his skin, pain shooting through his body. Kougai watched his younger opponent's expression blankly, waiting to see the moment the light faded from his immature eyes. It was for that reason that his brow creased into a frown, when something that he didn't expect occurred.

For some reason, his staff wasn't cutting as deep as it should have. And on top of that, rather than light fading, Naruto's eyes seemed to grow rather excited, hyperactive even. "Guess I owe ya one for that!" Naruto said, as Kougai distrustfully jumped back to the rooftop of the next, undamaged building. Naruto's lips had spread back into a bestial grin, his eyes as wide as a predator's. "I was coming down from a high, but now I'm _right_ back up there!"

Kougai's lips curled in annoyance at his still standing foe. For whatever reason his blade hadn't killed, he hadn't the faintest idea. But now he had both sections back in his control, he decided that now was the time to take things up a notch. Lightly he swung his weapon around his head, until he got it in a position where it was resting against the back of his neck. Then releasing it, he allowed Naruto to watch in shock as he pulled out _another_ pair of the exact same staffs, connecting them even in the same manner. Once he was finished making alterations, he took his first chain weapon in hand while gripping what was now his second. Within seconds of stepping away from Naruto, he had gone from a staff wielding Shinobi to dual nunchaku.

"_Well… Shinobi _are_ supposed to adapt to their environment."_

If Naruto had laughed at Eko's comment, it would most certainly have most certainly been a dry one. However, rather than shock, he seemed to become invigorated by the sight of such impressive weapons. That was the impression that could be gained from his expression anyway; aside from the lacking red eyes and slit pupils he seemed almost as if he were in his initial Jinchuriki state. But there was no demonic chakra running through his veins to give him that look. It was just sheer excitement.

"_Hey, don't overdo it ok? This guy's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve, so be ready for anything."_

Whether Naruto heard the blade's advice or not was left to be seen, for as soon as Eko had finished speaking his wielder broke into a run. Kougai waited fro him to come, lightly swinging the loose ends of his nunchaku in preparation for what was going to come his way. "For people like you, who know only destructive force," he said, as Naruto leapt high into the air with his blade over his head. "It is for that reason why people like _myself_ exist."

* * *

Deep in the chasms of the infested village, where the Shinobi forces were heading to free the captives and surround the enemy, there stood a lone figure. His arms were folded across his chest, and his eyes were closed, the dark rings giving him a black mask. He listened out, standing atop his platform of sand, for the approaching enemy. Little did he expect however, that they had anticipated him.

"Wasted efforts." Gaara muttered, as he heard his sand rush in front of him. Over a dozen shuriken became embedded in the wall, but failed to get anywhere close to their target. They fell down into the depths below, as the shield disintegrated. With no hurry at all, Gaara opened his eyes to meet with those who would be his foes. Even as he looked at them, his expression remained unchanging.

Deidara had certainly done well, drawing the enemy here. However it seemed that once more he was expecting much of the people he was working with. The crevices ahead of him were teaming with Shinobi each heading straight in his direction. It looked like there were at least two squads to a gorge, amassing to a total of seven teams, equalling an impressive twenty eight Shinobi.

Gaara had to hand it to Iwa; they certainly didn't hold back to terrorist threats. He was even left wondering if the village cared at all about the hostages, for them to do something that would clearly antagonise the captors. Then again, if these ninja were supposed to act as a deterrent by intimidation, then in any case the Tsuchikage had made a grave error. For all the experience and wisdom someone bearing that name must have possessed, there was no way they could have accounted for someone like _him._

The teams came to a stop, landing on ledges along the walls of the intravenous corridors as they watched Gaara. From the multitude of men, a woman stepped forward, drawing the attention of the otherwise unwavering Gaara. She looked to be in her thirties, with short brown hair cut around her shoulders, framing her pale skin and dark eyes. "Why have you attacked this village?" she demanded, making an obvious attempt to gather information before fighting.

"You can keep your questions." Gaara replied, meeting the kunzite's glare with the same cold look he would give to any old piece of trash that crossed his path. He could clearly see the Shinobi moving to his rear even as that kunzite tried to distract him with words. "Soon my reason for being here shall no longer be your concern, so asking me is pointless."

To emphasise this, he then made an attack that no one had been expecting. The three Shinobi who had managed to get behind died very suddenly, their chests impaled with spikes of sand that had grown out of the rock walls. With barely a cry among them, they were discarded to the depths and forgotten by their killer.

However fast Gaara was to forget them though, the looks of fury on the other Shinobi's faces made it clear that they weren't so cold. It was an amusing thought to Gaara; it looked like even Iwa valued their team mates to an extent. Despite that though, they had their own worries. Gaara's technique had thrown them, that he had managed to make such an attack like that without the use of hand seals. They each knew they would have to have their wits about them should they-

"What do you know?" called a voice, somewhere behind a more close knit squad of four Shinobi. They parted ways as they looked to the speaker, who lightly stepped forward along the small path at the wall. That person had his eyes fixed on Gaara the entire time he walked, his steps slow and provoking. "Looks like my training mission just turned into the real thing."


	44. Stigma of stone

Man, I KNEW this chapter was gonna be a long one. I suddenly realised I didn't want these fights going on several chapters, so I had to shorten them down into one long chapter. Though in doing so... well, I'll let you see for yourself. This is the first time in a long time I've released a 5000 word chapter, so you guys better damn well appreciate it!

Disclaimer: Holy hell, I didn't even realise. As of May 21st, I have officially been a writer for one year. And I was gonna have an anniversary party too.

* * *

**Stigma of stone**

Gaara watched the boy that slowly stepped forward, his expression suggesting nothing to any end as he studied that person with the same gaze he had given all the other Iwa nin. He was surprised by the fact that this boy seemed the same age, if not younger, than he was. So Iwa was the sort of place that gave no thought to age when sending out soldiers? That certainly seemed like it.

Having said that, if Gaara were to acknowledge this boy as a Shinobi even Naruto may have made the mistake of thinking he was joking. Not only did he fail to adorn the uniform that his supposed comrades wore, but he seemed much too malnourished to be a real ninja. His pale skin accentuated the dark rings around his fiery orange eyes, rings that were only a few shades paler than Gaara's. It would seem that like him, sleep was something that came very rarely to this boy.

"You are a Shinobi?" he asked, the doubt in his voice as clear as the kanji on his forehead. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked among the other ninja, could it be this was a ploy to distract him? If that was the case, he would have to doubt Iwa's sanity. A boy on a battlefield had as much place as a feather in a storm.

The boy chuckled lightly, brushing his messy brown hair out of his eyes as he got a clearer look at Gaara. His hand had slid out of the sleeve of a grey shirt many sizes too big for him, the waist of which almost covered the beige shorts he wore beneath them. While it was true that a shirt like that could hide some interesting things, Gaara didn't completely believe that a boy like this could make use of much in this situation.

The boy seemed to have no such concerns though. In fact, under Gaara's icy stare he visibly smiled; a look that made some of his team mates shiver. "Does it matter if I am?" he asked, in a voice that was both childish and confident at the same time. "All you need to know is that from here on out, _I _am your opponent."

"Kyoei-san." said the female captain, shooting the boy a look that ordered him to stand down. The boy, Kyoei apparently, completely ignored her however and continued to look back at Gaara with shimmering eyes. "We're not here to deal with trivialities. We'll take him on together and continue with the mission as ordered."

"Who's being trivial?" Kyoei asked, as he closely studied Gaara's body. He let his hand drop to his side, but his expression was as creepy looking as ever. Then, just for a moment, he cocked his head so that he was looking at the captain with a sly smile, one that could suggest many things. "I take him on, and if you're lucky we'll _both_ die. You don't have any issues with that right?"

For the first time since the boy's appearance, Gaara actually took an interest in him. The looks the other Shinobi were sharing suggested that this Kyoei guy was right on the money with his accusation, and no one would be quick to deny it. What was more, now that he looked closer he could see that each of them also shared tired looks just like their captain.

Considering what Kyoei said, the captain's brow creased and her teeth gritted. It was clear she didn't like being talked down to like that, perhaps least of all by the person saying those words. However at the same time, her twitching eyes suggested she too was dealing with the throes of exhaustion; something which was deadly to most Shinobi. After a moment of deliberation, she broke eye contact and looked ahead. "Fine, you take him on if you think you can." she said, as she took a step away. "Shirou! Souta! Watch his back!"

"Hai!" called two of the Shinobi who had stepped aside for Kyoei. Aside from them, everyone else moved to leave and continue with their mission. Gaara glanced at them as they passed him by; in truth it didn't really matter if they got through. In fact, according to what Deidara had said, the longer this battle went on the better. Although even in that case, the group was heading straight for a trap anyway.

"It looks like you've made your decision." he said, as he turned his attention back to the three nin that had stayed behind. He wasn't going to pretend that he had no interest in this situation. Kyoei was becoming a very noticeable person in his eyes. However the other two were by all means a nuisance. "For someone with no defining qualities to so brashly take on an opponent, your desire is clearly strong."

"He doesn't notice!" Kyoei exclaimed, his eyes widening and his expression turning even more pleased. Behind him the two Shinobi grew uneasy, one of whom raised his hand to his ear and uncomfortably slapped the side of his head. Kyoei however seemed almost grateful for this, as if he had been given a gift of some sort. "As expected of you, _Sabaku no Gaara."_

Gaara's eyes narrowed askance of Kyoei, silently wondering what it was that he was failing to detect. Rather than that, why Kyoei seemed to be _praising_ the fact that he wasn't noticing it. As for the boy knowing his name, well that was only a minor curiosity in comparison. "Would I be wrong to assume then that you possess qualities your team mates find undesirable?" he asked, though without waiting for an answer. "Even if that is the case, your reasons for fighting could not surpass my own; you couldn't possibly match up to me."

Kyoei cocked his head again, his smile widening curiously as Gaara spoke. However, where his comrades thought the boy creepy with a look like that, Gaara could clearly see the insincerity behind that expression. "Couldn't match up huh?" he asked, before looking over each shoulder to the nin standing behind him. Though he was in no position of command, neither of the two hesitated to break off from him and make distance. Once they had done as he silently asked, he turned his gaze back to Gaara, his round eyes suddenly much wider than before. "I think you've got that the other way around!"

With that statement, he proved to Gaara that he was in fact a Shinobi. The words had barely escaped his lips before he performed the Shunshin no Jutsu, and disappeared completely from sight. Though Gaara's surprise was an ironic one, it still faded to the next thing he learned; Kyoei was nowhere near as fast as he thought. Gaara didn't even have to move his eyes to track his opponent's movements, he almost felt embarrassed for the overconfident boy. But he had learned not to let his guard down so easily; he had of course once thought of Naruto as nothing more than a weak pest.

Kyoei reappeared beside him, coming to Gaara's notice even as the scruffy looking boy made his attack. He darted his hand out, his fingers outstretched as if to stab Gaara with it. Needless to say, the sand was quick to defend him, blocking the attack before it could even get close to Gaara's body. The owner of that sand turned his eyes ahead again; now his opponent would try and attack from a blind spot in the belief that Gaara wouldn't be able to defend.

"Whoa…" Kyoei said, staring at the wall of sand with an impressed look. With impressive chakra control, he managed to cling to the sand and keep himself in the air. He placed his hand upon the shield and lightly pressed, testing its hardness for himself. After a moment of studying it, he looked up at Gaara with the same look he'd given the sand. "This is your automatic defence right?"

Gaara's eyes twitched suddenly, and he threw his hand out to the side. Kyoei dodged back as the sand tried to envelope him, darting to the valley wall and across it. It had been one thing to know his name, but the fact that he had no control over his defence was something that very few living people knew about. In a moment he had switched from impassive to wary; where was this guy getting his information from?

"Looks like that ticked you off." Kyoei said, smirking as he crouched down on a ledge. Even with his eyes narrowed, they were still quite wide and round; something which gave of a slight ghostly feel about it. "I bet you're wondering "How can he possibly know something like that?", am I right?"

Gaara didn't give him the satisfaction of a reply, but from the look on Kyoei's face he didn't need to. The so far weak looking Shinobi lightly ran his fingers across the ground, picking up some sand that didn't belong to Gaara and rubbing it lightly. He then discarded it, straightening up and fixing his attention back to his enemy. "I guess I'll answer that question then, since you don't really have all that long left." he said, his sardonic voice mixing with his sneering face.

"Do not judge the end of the battle so hastily." Gaara replied, his suggestion clearly out of annoyance. As always he kept his composure, but he had an unusual feeling that this person was seeing through it, to what he was really thinking. It was as he thought that, that Kyoei's smirk became all the more irritating. "In this battle, the only advantage you have is knowledge. Are you really prepared to give that up?"

It was those words that resulted in a look of surprise on Gaara's face. From the looks of things, Kyoei didn't seem to like that question very much at all. His smirk had slid off his face and was replaced with a slight scowl, even his bright eyes seemed to darken a little. "Funny, I never would have figured you to be the patronizing type." he muttered, a look of disappointment on his sickly looking face. "I was hoping for someone more… _intense_."

As Kyoei's look of annoyance maintained, so did something else interesting happen. His hair began moving of its own accord, rifting as if there was a breeze in this windless place. Not only that, but his skin seemed to pale a little more, his veins faintly visible in their blue colour. Gaara was almost deceived into thinking the boy had anaemia, when something suddenly caught his attention.

It was a sound, a strange sound that Gaara had never heard before. It was high pitched, and quiet, almost like it was being blocked by something. The sound reminded him of the white noise he sometimes heard over a transceiver, but this was much finer in quality. "Looks like you finally hear it." Kyoei said, his sullen expression growing more so as the sound became slightly stronger. "The thing that keeps me and everyone around me awake _all _the_ time._"

Gaara's eyes were forced to narrow as an idea became clear to him. This boy contained something outside his control, something which made even his team mates wish ill of him. He himself held little regard for others, and instead moved to do what it was that he desired, whatever it was that made him feel alive. "Who are you?" he asked, as his curiosity became no longer possible to contain.

His question seemed to cause Kyoei to cheer up a little, but it did nothing to change the pressure in the air around them. A smile slid back onto his face, but his eyes had become blank and almost lifeless. He watched Gaara, cold but smiling, his hair now drifting like he was underwater. "My name is Kyoei Taiki." he replied, as his hands spread out to either side of him. "From Iwa's Research and Experimental Division, created for the purpose of killing _you_."

* * *

It was surprising really, how such unwieldy weapons could force someone like Naruto onto the defensive. But he didn't have too much choice. His opponent, Kyonshi Kougai, swung his nunchaku almost mechanically, making his movements with a flat, unmoving face. Or rather that would be true, if he actually made an attack. For now all he seemed to be doing was feint after feint, putting Naruto on constant edge as the blades on his weapons glimmered through the air, only to be pulled away right before Naruto could block or counter.

That could perhaps be seen as another thing he needed to hand to Kougai. For the sake of keeping up, he had needed to stop using the Ekokaeten and replace it on his back and had abandoned his haori for now. The blade was much too slow in comparison and his clothing was causing wind resistance. Besides, he needed a defence on his back against these weapons. As it was, he wielded a pair of kunai in each hand, the rings on the ends resting between his thumb and forefingers.

"_You ready?"_ Naruto asked, making sure to keep his expression looking like someone who was backed into a corner. The chakra he was gathering in his back was being absorbed by Eko, and shaped as the blade was told. All the while he really _was_ getting back into a corner, standing on a rooftop with buildings coming up on either side behind him.

"_Just waiting for an opening."_

However long Eko planned on waiting, Naruto wasn't sure they had that kind of time. He could see by the buildings beside him that he was only a few feet from the corner, when he came to realise something shocking. If he was in a corner, how did Kougai intend to attack him? Nunchaku like those couldn't be swung in such close spaces, so what was he thinking in doing such a thing?

"_SHIT!"_ Naruto suddenly thought, his eyes widening in horror. If that was the case, then it could only mean that Kougai had _no intention whatsoever_ of attacking him like that. With sudden aggression he flipped his kunai around, so that the blades were pointing _towards_ Kougai. He took a quick step forward, yelling into his mind with all his might. _"DO IT NOW!"_

Without understanding the situation, Eko did exactly as he was told. Releasing all the Fuuton chakra to the open air behind, Naruto was shot forward with considerable speed. The timing was incorrect, and as a result both his arms were cut by the nunchaku. But he still managed to make his attack connect, stabbing his kunai deep into Kougai's stomach.

"Gunh!" Kougai choked, his head jerking forward as pain shot through his abdomen like lightning. He almost fell forward from the shock, but Naruto didn't allow him that. The blond boy quickly whipped the kunai straight up, delivering deep and surely lethal slashes across Kougai's chest. Even his ribs were cut through with Naruto's strength, his lungs possibly cut in the process.

As blood burst from his body, showering Naruto grotesquely, he took several staggering steps back before falling onto the ground. The nunchaku slipped out of his hands and lay beside him as he gripped his chest, groaning in agony as more blood slipped out and died his grey flak vest a darker colour. Naruto watched him as he lay there, slipping his kunai into small single holsters concealed in his slacks.

"As I thought… unsurprising." Kougai said, his voice hoarse from his condition. Naruto looked over his shoulder, gripping one of his bleeding arms. The cuts thankfully weren't deep, and were healing already thanks to the Kyuubi inside of him. But Kougai on the other hand wouldn't be so lucky. "In your quest for destruction, are there _any_ lives you are unwilling to ruin?"

Naruto stared at Kougai with a creased brow, his feelings uncertain but far from positive. He turned his eyes ahead, to where Deidara had already instigated more plumes of smoke from his explosions. "What lives am I ruining?" he asked, looking across the empty buildings with an almost wistful air about him. "These idiots don't even know what it feels like to be alive. If any of them really knew what people like _you_ did for them, what do you think they would say? "You're a brave man"? "Go get 'em?""

Kougai wasn't the only one listening intently to what Naruto said. Eko too was focused on his wielder's every word, trying to figure out just why Naruto was being so unusually serious. He wondered if it perhaps had to do with Gaara, or maybe what the blond had needed to do with the civilians last night. In either case, it was certainly unusual for Naruto to talk to a dying enemy like this.

"_Dying… wait a minute."_

"So in other words, you would fight for recognition over duty?" Kougai asked, his eyes narrowing and his lip curling in detest for the person who had dealt him such a savage blow. He gripped his nunchaku in spite of his condition, his words as seething as his expression. "Such a selfish person will inevitably end up alone. Is that all that you would use your power for?"

Naruto blinked, but his frown maintained. His eyes distance out a little as he tried to see the logic in Kougai's words. But no matter how he looked at it, he could see nothing wrong with his own perspective. _"That's my determination I guess." _he thought, as he concluded himself as right in this situation. But now that he thought about it, even he was curious as to just why he was trying to convince the person behind him of that. _"Maybe it's because he looks like _him-_"_

"_He- he's getting back up!"_

With an incredulous look, Naruto whipped his head back over his shoulder. As Eko said, Kougai was already sitting up with his weapons in hand. In moments he was even back on his feet, standing with his back to Naruto. _"What the hell?"_ the blond thought bewilderedly. There was no way, not even _he _could have recovered from that. At least, not _that_ quickly.

"Well, it's not as if your reasons matter." Kougai said, as he raised his hands to his chest. With a couple of gruff movements he pulled off his torn jacket and shirt, discarding them onto the ground. Beneath that was a torso wrapped almost completely in bandages, and thin black guards across his forearms and down his back.

The guards seemed to be designed to hold something, and Naruto had a sneaking suspicion as to what those somethings were. Sure enough, in a quick movement Kougai had whipped his nunchaku over his back, onto the guards and detached them. Then quickly attaching the staff sections to his arms, he had once more changed his weapon style completely. _"This guy is seriously getting on my nerves with these things!"_ Naruto thought, staring at Kougai with tired eyes.

"I am a Shinobi born for Iwagakure." Kougai said, turning on the spot to face Naruto. He raised his arms out defensively, his stance calm and collected. From there, Naruto could clearly see the blood stained slashes that he had made. Even now he still could believe this guy was alive, let alone standing. "By order of the Tsuchikage, it is my duty to protect the villagers that you have endangered!"

"_Well, can't fault the guy for morals. We _are_ technically the bad guys after all."_

Ignoring Eko's comment, Naruto gripped the blade's hilt as he prepared to continue the battle with his enemy. Now that he had a chance to study Kougai, he realised something very troublesome. _He was no longer injured._ In a feat that surpassed even Naruto's regenerative ability, Kougai's wounds had faded away like they were never there in the first place. All that was left was the blood stained bandages and skin. For him to be able to do that, Naruto couldn't begin to understand the reason. And so to that end, he suddenly became very serious. This battle wasn't going to end without a serious blow being dealt. _That_ much was obvious.

"_Don't use me. The way this guy changes his weapons, he's moving to a faster style each time."_

Naruto nodded, quickly letting go of Eko. Kougai noticed this change in plan and immediately reacted, disappearing for a moment as he Shunshined to the left. Naruto dodged the straight punch that was thrown at him, bending backwards as his opponent's arm flew overhead. Taking advantage of the position, he attacked with his own arm and grabbed Kougai's wrist. Within barely a moment blood was seeping through Naruto's fingers, and Kougai was groaning in pain again.

The two broke apart as Naruto flipped back, forming rapid seals as he prepared to move onto Ninjutsu. As soon as his feet hit the ground he moved his arms so his hands rested against their opposite shoulders. Then once he had fixed his eyes upon Kougai, he threw them out to their correct sides. "Fuuton: Crescent Mirage!" he cried, as arcs of wind flew out of his hands at different levels of power.

Kougai reacted as expected and hopped over the first, more noticeable blade, before… _flipping_ over the second one. Naruto cursed as he dodged back, avoiding the descending slash Kougai made in conjunction to his escape of Naruto's attack. "A feint is it?" Kougai asked, as he made his next attack by charging and slashing his arms upward. "Who would have thought a beast like you was capable of such a thing?"

Naruto's brow twitched in annoyance at Kougai's obvious jab. Was he trying to get Naruto to do something stupid? If that was the case, he wasn't going to allow it. Clapping his hands together, he then threw them both out straight at his opponent's chest. "Fuuton: Reppusho!" he called, using the seal and name to augment the attack's power.

But just as he released the attack he noticed something that made him rather uneasy. Kougai's raised hands had settled on a seal, the tiger seal. Bringing them down quickly, Kougai leant back enough to cast the Jutsu he had hidden behind his attack. "Katon: Wildfire Jutsu!" he called, before exhaling his already full lungs.

_THROOM!_

* * *

Gaara threw both his hands from his sides to his front, directing his sand on his skyward opponent. Kyoei had leapt into the air, and was heading straight for him as danger flew in on both sides. From his position dodging was impossible, both of them knew that. But what Gaara didn't know was that Kyoei had no intention to dodge. Instead, he somehow _blocked_ the sand, raising his hands and touching it. Rather than spreading over his body, the sand game to a stop there and after a moment simply _crumbled away_. And with that moment of distraction, Kyoei reached Gaara and like the offensive sand, _moved straight through the sand shield._

Gaara wasn't so foolish to watch as this happened, but that damned sound he had been hearing was growing in intensity as Kyoei got closer. Now that the apparent source was so close, literally crouching down in front of him, Gaara had to act in order to maintain his composure if nothing else. He reached down and grabbed Kyoei's shirt, before throwing the boy back with relative ease.

"Gah!" he grunted, as a strange sensation ran through his arm. It was like he had shoved his arm into a pit of insects, aggravating the bugs to crawling all over his limb in a frenzy. But what was more than that was the strange numbness that came after it. He looked over to Kyoei, who was lying against the cliff wall and giving a small smile as Gaara's arm hung limply at his side. "That would be an automatic defence of your own, I presume?"

"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm." Kyoei chuckled, brushing his waving hair aside and finding amusement in Gaara's unease. He slid down onto the ledge below, looking up at his opponent with a rather superior expression. "Yeah, that's about right. Your sand doesn't work to well if my static shield disrupts the chakra inside. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though."

Gaara touched his numb hand, feeling the coldness that unsettled him so that was the reason then? "A static shield… that would be Raiton chakra you're using then." he muttered, as he turned his attention back to Kyoei. "Knowing that… I'll finish this now…"

Before Kyoei could even frown, Gaara had disappeared from sight. And before he could even move, Gaara's hand had gripped onto his throat. Kyoei grabbed at Gaara's wrist as he was lifted into the air, and in doing so he felt a strange sensation of his own. Wind had formed around Gaara's hand, Fuuton chakra cutting through the Raiton and leaving Gaara unaffected by the "static shield".

"This is what it means to fight an opponent whose existence is far greater than your own." Gaara said, as he tightened his grip. Kyoei looked at him in shock, but his eyes were quickly drawn to the two forms that passed in front of him. The two Shinobi tasked with assisting him had already fallen, blood covering their mangled bodies. "When your opponent is able to act in such a way, this is when you use your ace in the sleeve."

Gaara then released the chakra in his hand, forcing Kyoei's windpipe to tighten up. The boy tried to cry out, but it was impossible for air to go either way like this. All he could do was widen his eyes, his mouth hanging open as he tried desperately to breathe. Gaara let go of him, and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap. "You say your aim is to kill me, but this is the first time you and I have met." the redhead said, as he turned his back to Kyoei. The choking boy looked up at Gaara; even though the light was fading he could just barely make out his enemy's silhouette. "It would seem Iwa is doing something very dangerous."

With that, he took off after the Shinobi who had passed him. After he was gone from sight, Kyoei's windpipe finally slid open enough for air to pass through. But it was much too late for that to do him much good now. Slowly, his eyes closed, and his lips moved in a silent whisper. "Sabaku… no Gaara…"

* * *

"Looks like he was hardly one to talk." Deidara said, as he removed the telescopic device from his eyes again. He had been watching the fights from his distance, since there were no longer any worries about enemies on the outskirts. The twenty odd Shinobi who had gotten past Gaara, and those remaining of the diversion squad had discovered the civilians, and were moving to free them from their prison. "That damn guy let himself get distracted as well, hm."

Looking over his shoulder, he could see even from this distance. Naruto's dogs were doing what they could, but their orders had been to stay out of the enemy's way. As it was, they were left with picking off a couple of Shinobi who were isolated from the rest, but doing much more would be dangerous. "Still, it's better this way I think." he said, as his bird turned around and began heading down to the square. "I mean, you won't show up unless I'm at risk of being killed by another, right Kirai? Hm."

Deidara watched the masses with a smirk; it looked like he was going to have to risk his life now. He had been hoping to limit his opponents to enough enemies to make it realistic, but this case would be too real for comfort. Gaara and Naruto had both pretty much failed there, but he could hardly blame them. All he could do was-

_Fwooo-shh!_

Deidara whipped his head back in surprise, hearing a sound that caught him off guard. But more than the noise, what he saw was enough to throw him than anything else. _Han_ had appeared, soaring through the air with a jet of steam bursting from his arms, boots and the machine on his back. "Yo, sensei!" Deidara called, watching with a raised brow as Han landed on the bird's back. "What, you don't trust me to-"

Before he could finish his question, Han lashed out at him with his fist. Taken by shock, Deidara rolled across his bird and fell off it, dropping down through the sky while his sensei followed after him. _"Damn it… I wasn't expecting this."_ he thought, as Han reached out for his old student with threatening hands. _"So even in this situation, you've got a job to do eh sensei?"_

If not for the feeling of imminent danger, Deidara would have laughed. Once more Han had proven his unusual nature by protecting those he wasn't even loyal to. For that Deidara had to reprimand himself, how foolish was he to try and apply logic to Han's way of thinking? "Guess there's no choice then." he muttered, as he raised his hands into a seal. "KATSU!"

Han's eyes widened in shock as the bird they had been standing on swooped down and exploded. Though it hadn't been close enough to inflict damage, the force sent Han flying down at a greater speed, falling past Deidara who latched on to his sensei's back. With quick movements, he placed a clay centipede on the device that Han used for steam generation, and sent his creation to work.

In seconds the little guy had wrapped itself around the joint connecting the device to Han's armour, and Deidara's work was done. Jumping back off, he just made it out of the way as the centipede exploded, separating the man from his machine. Deidara grabbed onto it as his sensei turned around, glaring at the blond with shocked and livid eyes.

"Yo, sensei!" Deidara called out, as he slipped the machine under his arm. The wind billowed through his hair and cloak, while Han had nothing to slow down his descent. The gap between them was quickly growing, and the two of them knew that without the steam generator Han stood no chance of surviving. "Kirai will show, I swear it! Who is it you want to protect, cos if you kill me, it'll be _him_ who-"

That was it. Deidara's eyes widened and his lips parted as he saw through his sensei's plan. For the first time he came to realise something shocking. He had been wrong to think of Han as random. Rather than that, his sensei was something else altogether, something Deidara would never have thought of him in a million years.

It was true… Han really was a demon.


	45. The supports crumble

I was a little preoccupied when writing this chapter, hence the reason it's coming out later than I'd like. I'll still get to work on the next one today, so as long as I stay vigilant the benefits should be the same. Needing to go out and buy a new Xbox... helping my cousin get an application form for college... watching him sign up to a dating site before going out to meet his girlfriend... a lot happens around me.

Disclaimer: I guess we kinda had to expect that ending to chapter 497. I mean, look how many chapters it's been since we last saw Sasuke, Kishi must be getting withdrawal symptoms or something.

* * *

**The supports crumble**

"_Ha! Hah! Gah!"_

_Up in the rocks not far from Iwagakure, Dei-chan stood facing the landscape with a sweating brow. His black t-shirt was covered in dirt from an earlier fight, one that he had just managed to get out of. The bullies had come for him again, stating that his longer than average hair made him look like a girl. As a result, they had pinned him down and started cutting it off, only for him to break free and run off. But as of now, the right side of his fringe was completely missing._

_The sweltering sun and unforgiving earth were only partially attributing to the stickiness of his body. For the past ten minutes he had taken to picking up stones from the ground and hurling them as far as he could manage. With every swing of his arm he tried to hurl his anger away, but so far all he was managing to do was cause an ache that grew each time._

"_Bastard Kazuki!" he growled, his young voice not fitting to the adult tone. Kazuki was the person who always incited the other boys to pick on Dei-chan, and was always the one who did the worst. Dei-chan really hated that guy, sometimes he even thought about doing dangerous things to get his own back. Unfortunately though he knew that doing so would cause problems for his father, which would then of course cause problems for him._

_He continued to grunt and groan for a few moments more, before exhaustion finally hit him and he was left breathing heavily. Why? Why did people like Kazuki exist? It would be better if he would just disappear, or something like that. No one would notice, people were always dying by falling off the cliffs in this country. Whether they were drunk or just stupid was of no matter. _"I could… I could-"_ Dei-chan thought, before he suddenly felt something strike him in his behind. With a cry of shock he fell to his hands and knees, barely missing the drop in front of him. With a terrified expression he looked over his shoulder, staring at the person who kicked him._

"_Dei-kun's making scary faces again!" complained a girl of maybe ten years old. She frowned at him with crossed arms, her shoulder length black hair and icy eyes giving her a surprisingly scary expression for someone accusing another person of the same thing. She was wearing a simple brown dress, and not for the first time Dei-chan had to hide his embarrassment. Why did he find her strangely cute?_

"_Careful Rei-chan, I could've gone down!" he scolded, as he pushed himself up to his feet. After lightly brushing the dirt off his knees, he frowned unhappily at the girl who was the same age as him, yet seemed to have no desire to act like it. "Didn't your dad teach you to be careful around here, hm?"_

"_Hm?" Rei repeated, cocking her head innocently to the right. Her frown had already changed into a sweet smile, one that suited her much better than her previous expression. Once more Deidara's face reddened, but at least he could disguise it as blood pumping because of shock. "Papa told me only careless people fall, so I'd be ok, yeah?"_

_Dei-chan stared at Rei with a disgruntled look, annoyed that she was teasing him yet again. Was it just his imagination or did everyone his age seem to get a kick out of bullying him? "You know for a girl, you could be a _little_ more ladylike?" he suggested, knowing full well just how much that would tick Rei off._

"_Stupid!" Rei yelled, sticking out her tongue before turning around and running into the cave behind her. Dei-chan couldn't help but smirk, even if he felt bad for teasing her a little. Turning back to the cliff, he looked at a stone that was still in his hand. His smirk slid to an almost blank expression; Rei had done a good job of distracting him, but now he was left feeling kind of empty._

_Once more his thoughts were interrupted though as heavy footsteps could be heard from behind him. He watched as Rei's father, Han, stepped out of the cave and looked down to him. Dei-chan often wondered how Han managed to cope with that heavy armour in this heat, and more than once had tried to convince him to take off his mask. But right now such things hardly reached Deidara's mind. Han knew as well as he did that he seldom came over here for a reason other than to blow off steam. Dei-chan whipped his hand back, and prepared to sling the stone across the canyon._

_But then Han stopped him, pressing something cold and hard into Dei-chan's hand. With a surprised look, the blond looked over his shoulder and saw something that made him freeze. Han was giving to him a kunai, one with a paper tag attached to the end. Dei-chan watched it for a few moments, before realising Han's intentions. "Sensei said we're not ready for those yet." he said, though it was clear in his eyes that he really wanted to try. Han didn't take the kunai away, and after a further moment's hesitation, Dei-chan accepted the weapon._

_He looked at it, first at the cool metal of the first true weapon he had ever held, then to the strange seal drawn onto the paper tag. He had never seen one of these up close before, but he had watched his senseis demonstrations closely. Looking over the canyon, he pulled his arm back like they had demonstrated. Then, channelling all the anger and sadness left within him, he hurled the kunai away._

_His throw was pathetic, but before he could start feeling down about that, the paper tag exploded. Light filled his view as blazing flames burst out in every direction. It was even grander than a firework, like he was looking at the sun itself up close. With all the negative feelings burning away in the smoke, Dei-chan couldn't help but feel himself grow lighter._

"_Wow…" he breathed, as the remnants of the explosion reflected into his eyes._

* * *

Deidara dropped through the air like a bat swooping in for the kill. He glared down at the person he had once called sensei, feelings of anger filling him and consuming him. Now the two were looking at each other with the same expressions, both ready and willing to do what it takes to bring the other down. But for Deidara, he was much more conflicted than just that.

Maybe that was why he looked so contorted right now. Down below him was Han, who thought solely of finding his lost daughter. There was no way Deidara could fault him for that, but at the same time… _"You don't understand!"_ he thought, as he hurled down a small clay bird. With a hand seal and a twist, he landed on the back of a giant sparrow. Acting quickly, he planted the steam generator under his arm into the clay, where it stuck fast. Then he crouched down on his bird and sent it down after Han, fixing his gaze upon his falling teacher. _"I wanna save Rei-chan too!"_

As much as he wanted to let the old man fall, Deidara swooped down after him with the beak of his sparrow opening. Knowing that it was his only chance for survival, Han reluctantly allowed himself to be captured. But the moment the bird had grasped him in its beak, his hands flew onto the clay and instantly set to work. The clay crumbled from a strange combination of hardening and softening, and as a result both he and his steam generator were soon freed again.

Deidara had anticipated this. Jumping off his destroyed creation, he landed on the spire of one of the taller buildings. Han just barely managed to grab his device and pull of a landing, but Deidara could clearly see that doing so had hurt. _"Alright then, I guess this means I'm gonna have to fight you."_ he thought, his hands already in his pouches and gathering up clay. _"I already used a lot before this. Damn it Han-sensei, you're getting in the way!"_

Looking at the person who had taught him many things, Deidara couldn't help wondering what was going through Han's mind. It must have been three, four years since Rei had been taken? In that time, how racked with worry could he have been, and how angry was he that he hadn't been able to do anything? Deidara understood it, he had understood even as he walked through the place his old sensei was using as his home. Thoughts of his daughter were causing him to lose his mind. Were there any lengths he wouldn't go to, and was there anyone he would trust?

But these thoughts were soon erased as both Deidara and Han were distracted. Somewhere far behind them, in the streets below, cries rang out as people fled into a panic. Even in spite of their height, the two nin actually saw blood flick into the sky; something which would have needed quite a bit of strength to do. Suspiciously, Han looked over to Deidara to see if the blond knew about this. He was met with a smile, and a malicious looked that made his old pupil look quite deranged. "_My comrades are nowhere near there._" Deidara said, his voice provocative and inciting. Both their attentions returned to that place; the cries of the dying following an all too familiar pattern.

Kirai had finally arrived.

* * *

Naruto placed his hand against the stone wall, clambering to his feet as quickly as he could. He was on a rooftop belonging to a different street than the one he had previously stood upon. The force of Kougai's attack had sent him this far, flying over at least one building before landing on another one.

He glanced at his smoke singed clothes, and the slightly darkened bandages. His skin had also taken on a redder shade, and it ached to move. Who knew Fuuton fuelled Katon Jutsu were that damn powerful? Or maybe Kougai's Jutsu was powerful enough to begin with, and the Reppusho just added to that.

In either case, Naruto wasn't in the best of states. The slash Kougai had given him was having trouble closing, but at least the fire had aided with that. As long as Naruto didn't move around too much, there was a chance even Gaara wouldn't notice. _"Heh, who am I kidding?" _he thought, chuckling nervously to himself. But before he could let himself get too sidetracked, Kougai was coming for a follow up attack. _"Guess there's no quick end to this after all."_

He leapt back as Kougai landed in front of him, missing a dual slash narrowly. Not wanting to risk another blast with that guy's Katon Jutsu, Naruto decided on another method for dealing with him. He formed his hands together and made the cross seal, silently activating the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Fortunately Kougai was unfamiliar with the hand sign, and so didn't notice the Kage Bunshin until it was right behind him. When that moment came, he didn't even have time to dodge. Leaning to his right, he allowed the Kage Bunshin's attack with its Eko replica, using the blades on his back as a makeshift shield. The force sent him rolling forward, the muscles in his back crying out in pain.

"_Looks like even if his injuries heal, he can't help blood loss."_

In spite of his efforts Kougai was slower than before. Most likely he had switched styles so not to take chances. It seemed however that doing so had only accounted for _some_ of his lost speed. That gave Naruto a decisive advantage in close combat, but only if he could deceive Kougai. And with the secret of the Kage Bunshin now out, that would be getting a whole lot more difficult.

However, Naruto now saw his chance. With Kougai stumbling forward, he had enough of an opening to run forward and attack. Sliding down on the ground, he was in moments underneath Kougai, his hand flying up to his opponent's throat. _"Let's see if he can survive this!" _Naruto thought, as he pumped chakra into his Fuuton: Wind Palm.

"_No wait- Naruto!"_

The blond's eyes slowly widened as a smile spread across Kougai's lips. Naruto watched in horror as that smile widened, past normal human capacity. Then Kougai's eyes faded into empty holes, replaced with the same flickering flames that filled his open mouth. Not even a moment later, he exploded in a shower of fire which spread rapidly across Naruto's wind infused hand.

"GAH-HCK!" Naruto screamed, as searing pain ran over his entire body like a boiling river. Even though it was gone only seconds after, Naruto could still feel the agony. Right then he felt a pain unlike anything else he had ever experienced in his life. This was worse than being stabbed, slashed or beaten to a pulp. This was something else altogether.

Still crying out, his hands flew to his eyes. The fire had gotten to them, burning before he could close them from danger. He grasped them tight, naively hoping that by keeping them as closed as possible he could numb the pain. But he knew he couldn't focus on that. He needed to get up and fight, or he would die like a dog.

Fortunately for him, his Kage Bunshin had avoided the attack. His fake self helped him to his feet and even supported him as he opened his dry, red eyes, blinking as he looked around. "Where is he?" he asked, not ready to disperse the clone just yet. His sight was bad, everything was hazy right now. If Kougai attacked, all he would see are shadows. "Eko… why didn't you-"

"_He must have already had that Hi Bunshin prepared, he used the Kawarimi no Jutsu to replace him with it at the last second." _

"_No way… so he was faking his speed?" _Naruto thought, growing worried from that realisation. If that was the case, he was probably hiding right now, waiting to see how Naruto would react. With the Kage Bunshin, he was unwilling to show himself unnecessarily. Naruto bowed his head, listening out where his eyes couldn't help them. _"Eko… have you assimilated his chakra?"_

"_Yeah, I just managed to- why?"_

Naruto lifted his head again, fixing his eyes on a broken wall up ahead. He had just picked up the faintest sound, telling him that Kougai had exerted more effort than he would have Naruto think. _"There's no choice."_ he thought, as the Kage Bunshin stepped away from him and took guard in front. _"I'm gonna put it all into _that_ Jutsu… my B-rank."_

"_Seriously? You sure it'll work?"_

Naruto paused for a good few moments, but in the end he never answered Eko's question. There was no doubt in his mind that this would work, but that fact annoyed him more than anything. But he didn't have any other options; he didn't want to rely on the Kage Bunshin while he was stuck like this. That wasn't the way he did things. All he would need was a moment to prepare; then he would be ready.

At the next building, Kougai stood with his back against the wall of what had once been an entire room. His breathing was heavy and his body ached, Hi Bunshin took a considerable toll to create and as such were only used when they would certainly work. From what he could tell of that, it had failed his expectations but gave pleasing results nonetheless. His enemy was partially blinded, and his right hand severely burned. There would be no way he could fight on his own, meaning that there was only one possibility left.

It came faster than expected, the counterattack. It took Kougai a moment to realise it, but it seemed the smell of his blood had given him away. Three Kage Bunshin appeared around him; one on either side and one above him. These Kage Bunshin had quickly and efficiently flanked him before he had known what hit him, and soon his back was against the wall not by choice, but by necessity.

Not one to cower away however, he accepted the challenge of the copies without hesitation. Considering the condition of their creator, surely these copies would be too weak to put up a fight? Using his hidden speed, he brought his forward as he moved towards the clones, before slashing outwards in a move that would have cut each of their throats before the first one could feel any pain.

However he was quick to learn that his theory was wrong. The clones at his side grabbed tight hold of his wrists while the first one, who had ducked under the attack, dealt an uppercut to Kougai's chin that knocked him clean off his feet and into the air. "Goowah!" he cried, as he began to taste blood. But that was far from all. The two clones that had restricted his arms leapt off the middle one's back and into the air, before both of them delivered a somersaulting kick that sent him soaring back.

"_Wait for it… wait for it…"_

Naruto did just that, preparing in the process. He almost felt embarrassed to do it, but he spread his legs apart as he lowered his stance. He raised his arms, one stretched out in front of him and the other behind. His eyes were closed tight, his brow creased in concentration. The Kage Bunshin who had attacked Kougai dispersed and gave him the information he needed. Right now, right above him, his last Kage Bunshin had latched onto Kougai, and was holding him directly overhead.

"_NOW!"_

Though it was unnecessary, Naruto responded to Eko's command immediately. All of the chakra he had gathered was suddenly released from his hands, and his outstretched leg was brought around in a sweeping motion. Even as he did it, he could see the form of the person he detested performing the same move, like a silhouette standing just beside him. _"This Jutsu… it was made for _you_." _Naruto thought, as his eyes opened wide to show a resolution that even his blinded self could manage. Then his lips spread back as he continued the sweeping motion, turning it into a full on spin as he yelled out "Hurricane Rising!"

As his spinning became faster and faster, his Fuuton chakra took on the form of a small tornado. Grey wind whirled around him within moments of initiating the Jutsu, and soon after he was completely hidden behind the walls created by it. That cyclone of chakra rose high into the air, surrounding Kougai and immediately destroying the Kage Bunshin holding him. But he didn't even notice; his wide eyes and gaping mouth showed his attentions were elsewhere.

Inside a tornado, air pressure is extremely low. To be caught inside one would be pretty much the same as being caught deep in the sea. If any air was getting into Kougai's gasping lungs, he certainly had no idea. What was worse was the compressed feeling, like the air itself was crushing him. It kept him from even noticing as tiny cuts appeared over his skin, growing into long slashes that sprayed blood into the violent winds around him. He was unable to move, except to maybe to one thing.

"_NOW EKO!" _Naruto commanded, beating Kougai to the punch. He knew well that his opponent was going to try and ignite the flames, but also knew that such attempts were useless. The reason for that was that Eko did that instead, the bare side of the blade suddenly igniting.

_THROOOM!_

* * *

Deidara and Han, who had both been on the verge of investigating the disturbance close by, suddenly whipped their head around in shock. A loud noise had filled the air, like a sudden roar of thunder. Several streets away was the source, something that made Deidara forget for a moment what he was doing or what was going on around him.

There was an explosion, one greater than any mere explosive tag could create. It formed a sudden plume of fire that rose from the ground, whipping around in a spiralling manner. The flames then rolled over, forming a small mushroom-like cloud that reflected in the arsonist's eyes. "Incredible…" he breathed, as the fire died away. Then he turned his head around, looking to the place his attention had previously belonged to. His lips had spread back into a large grin, and the glimmer in his eyes showed someone who was experiencing total ecstasy. "Uzumaki Naruto… I'm impressed, hm!"

Filled with a sudden drive he hadn't possessed before, Deidara leapt past his sensei and onto the next rooftop. He reached the street that he was sure a certain person was in and somersaulted over it, giving a two fingered salute to someone below. Han watched as his crazed pupil landed on the following rooftop, before his view was suddenly obstructed by someone's back. His eyes widened lividly, the veins so clear one would almost believe he suffered from conjunctivitis.

Sensing someone behind him, the man Han was staring at looked over his shoulder. The two eyes met, neither surprised but both glaring. The two masked men watched each other for a moment, but the newcomer soon dismissed him. Kirai looked at Deidara, who seemed surprised at such a cold reunion. "Is that how brothers greet each other?" he asked, smirking at his sensei and his old partner. The two shot him a dark look that suggested he shouldn't talk, but the blond Shinobi paid them no attention. "They say blood is thicker than water, but how thick is _bad_ blood?"

"Was this your plan then?" Kirai asked, as he raised a blood stained nodachi to his side. He fixed Deidara with that hated look, the slit on his palm opening and salivating like it did last time around. He then spoke again, but despite his attention being on Deidara, his words went to his elder brother. "I wonder… do you even know the circumstances that led to what happened that night?"

Behind him, Han sneered, his angered eyes looking where his ears didn't listen. It seemed he wasn't interested in the conditions, only the results. Kirai took note of this even in the silence, smirking to himself as someone who didn't need to look for a response. "If only _she_ hadn't ratted me out, I wouldn't have had to take her." he said, eying Han unsympathetically. "Family should never betray family, so I gave her a fitting punishment of removing her from hers."

However disinterested in his words Han had previously been, what Kirai just said forced him to snap. He bounded off the rooftop and across the street, bloodlust clear in his eyes as the sun was in the empty sky. Kirai turned on the spot and raised his long blade, blocking his brother's hateful embrace.

"_Looks like I was right."_ Deidara thought, as he slipped back to the end of the rooftop. Both Kirai and Han engaged in a deadlock struggle as Han used both arms to keep Kirai's blade from cutting him. The brother's refused to take their eyes off each other even as the instigator for this fight drew further and further away. _"This is my chance to find her. She won't be far away."_

Deidara dropped off the roof and into the streets below, silently landing and catching the eyes of the fleeing villagers. With a smile he looked towards them; they had all abruptly halted as he blocked the street. "Don't mind me." he said, raising his hand to show off the tongue on his palm. The sight of that grotesque feature, along with the face of their oppressor caused the people to panic, fleeing in the opposite direction. "What a bunch of fools, they don't know what they're missing… heh."

"Deidara-san."

Deidara looked over his shoulder with a cocked brow, smiling at the source of the familiar voice. Gaara had appeared at the end of the street, arms folded and blank faced as ever. "Hey." the bomber said, looking to his employer with a grin. He jerked his thumb up to his right, where Kirai and Han were most likely engaged in combat. "Plan was a success, and better yet, Han-sensei is fighting him _for_ us."

Gaara looked up at that place with a surprised expression. Judging by Deidara's actions, he got the feel that it would be best not to engage in this fight. If getting rid of the remaining Shinobi was all that was needed, that would be simple enough to do. However, there was another pressing concern.

"Haroo!" howled one of Naruto's dogs, as it appeared in a street to Gaara's left. The red haired boy looked over to the dog, recognising him as Shinmaru. The dog looked at Gaara and bowed his head, lightly hitting the ground uneasily. Gaara recognised the motion after a moment's thought, and his expression grew even more serious.

"I'll check on Naruto." he said, as he moved towards Shinmaru and hopped onto his back. Deidara gave him a wave as the sand manipulator darted away. Once the boy and the beast were gone, he turned back to the street. He had other things to take care of himself, and with Han fighting here he knew the other Shinobi would be giving this place a wide berth. That meant he could do his investigating in peace, free of worries about having to avoid attack.

"_I'm coming Rei-chan, just wait a little longer."_


	46. Reminding the mortal of death

Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but I made up for it by making it even longer than usual (5640 words!), so forgive me for that. I actually think this chapter is good in more than just terms of length, but I'll let you decide that for yourselves. I'm really looking forward to reviews guys, a lot of work went into this one!

Disclaimer: Last week, my head hit the desk with the manga chapter. This week, I'm picking splinters out of my brain... I'm not gonna survive to see the big 500, am I?

* * *

**Reminding the mortal of death**

Han and Kirai were locked deep in combat, the first raising his armoured arms against the latter's long nodachi. Neither had noticed they were alone in this place; neither cast even a thought to where Deidara was. Han didn't care in the slightest, and though the same couldn't be said for Kirai, his focus was fixed upon his brother at this moment in time.

The two split apart, coming to know that neither would succeed in a continued struggle like that. Han reached behind to touch his steam generator, which he had managed to fix back in place, checking to see if it was still in working condition. When he confirmed this was so, he lowered his hands to his side. He was going to take his time fighting this opponent, releasing a grudge which had been his for many years now.

That wasn't to say Kirai was going to do the same however. Eager to draw this battle to a quick and decisive end, he ran the tongue of his hand across the blade and coated it in saliva. Then without any further hesitation he ran at his sibling, his blade held low and threatening. Han didn't move to intercept, but when Kirai drew close, he turned his hands so that the base of his palms were pointed straight at his traitorous brother.

A sudden blast of steam shot out from small pipes in Han's wrists, which were then manipulated into firing at Kirai with enough force to break through solid rock. Kirai was immediately forced off the ground and through the air, grunting in pain as boiling hot air pounded into him. He landed roughly on the next rooftop, his lip curled back as he snarled and glared. Han however took no note of his expression; he wasn't even looking right now.

Han was standing straight, in the exact same spot he had made the attack. Rather than move for an advantage, he remained there with his hand gripping the brim of his armoured sedge hat. His eyes were hidden behind the red plates, and there was no longer a single visible piece of skin on his body. Soon however, even that would be a commodity as he revealed the reason for his failing to procure a follow up attack.

Steam hissed from beneath his headpiece, from pipes laid around in several places underneath. It took a couple of seconds, but soon he was completely hidden inside a small cloud of steam that was growing larger and larger. As the cloud grew and spread across the rooftop, Kirai's eyes narrowed. He had never seen his brother fight before; Han had kept himself isolated from the family for most of his life. For that reason, just about everything he was seeing here was new to him. He didn't like it one bit, and so took the opportunity to find an advantageous position.

Deep inside the haze, where steam was still pouring out, Han stood with his eyes closed. He could feel the familiar heat of the steam, falling from his hat and rising around him like a soothing breeze. He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders, before lifting his arms high into the air, at perfect diagonals on either side. Then he took in a deep, thick breath through his nose, and his eyes slid open.

Outside the steam, Kirai had almost gone the complete way around to his brother's back. But now he came to a stop as something changed in the steam, something that caught his curiosity in spite of himself. "What is that?" he murmured, as he saw the steam shift and sway unrest fully. With a feeling of unease, Kirai readied his blade, waiting for whatever it was that was coming his way.

Suddenly the steam moved, lifting in places as if it were clinging to something inside. Several long tendril-like plumes curled through the air, the ends taking on the odd shape of some reptilian head. Five of them were present, and each were watching Kirai with hungry expressions, looking ready to strike at any given moment.

"_There's no way he can see me." _Kirai thought, taking a step back as a hissing sound emitted from the mouths of the serpentine spectres. Han was completely invisible as far as Kirai could see, which meant most probably that he was as well. _"He can't hear me with that steam either. So if then he must be using the steam to pick up my scent."_

Taking this knowledge into account, he quickly decided on what he needed to do. With a quick whip around, he hurled his nodachi like a misshapen shuriken at the steam serpents. As soon as the blade was out of his hands, he ran alongside it with his hands at his hips. Pulling out his dual wakizashi, he leapt into the air and began attacking brutally while one of the serpents was dismembered by his discarded weapon. He attacked in a fierce flurry of slashes and cuts as the serpents convened on his position.

Even though he was engulfed in the steam, he didn't relent for a second. Though he found his slashes to be ineffective, the steam creatures just reformed afterwards, he was far from done. He fell in amidst the steam, where even here he couldn't tell if he was near Han. But whether he was or wasn't was no matter. Quickly throwing his blades aside, he began flying through a series of seals, before gripping his right hand with his left and pointing it towards the ground.

"Katon: Conflagration Jutsu!" he cried, before taking in a deep inhale. The air that flew into his lungs was immediately redirected through another auxiliary windpipe in his arm. There it was saturated with the chakra he had gathered, before being released in an immense firestorm from the fanged slit in his palm. The flames spewed out and hit the ground, spreading around like a broken dam releasing a river.

Kirai was shot into the air by the force of his technique, breaking out of the steam cloud and high into the air. But as he did this, he noticed that steam clung to parts of his body. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at them, but he had other things to focus on now. His attack had successfully obliterated the steam cloud, leaving Han with his eyes on his brother and looking to be quite shocked. That was exactly the reaction Kirai was looking for; it gave him the drive to continue his next attack.

Once he reached the height of his jump, he somersaulted through the air and began another series of hand signs. Han however was not prepared to let him continue what he was doing, and raised his hand indicatively to this. Without so much as a hand seal, steam shot out from his wrist and formed another, smaller serpent than its predecessors. That serpent snaked through the air after Kirai, opening its jaws wide as it prepared to devour him. Kirai's eyes widened in shock at his brother's sudden creation, how could he have done that?

The serpent engulfed him, and Kirai was filled with thoughts of how this would be the end. But to his surprise, he felt no pain other than the burning sensation of the steam. _"Wait, his steam isn't directly offensive?"_ he thought, as the serpent dissipated completely. His body was now covered in that clinging steam, but all it served to do was increase his body temperature. Knowing this, he hastily continued his hand seals, almost running out of time as he neared the ground. _"Damn it brother… what're you trying to do?"_

Before he could find out however, he finished his string and landed on the ground. It was there that his Nodachi stood, impaled in the ground where he had thrown it. Han came to notice this, but not the twin wakizashi that were behind him, forming a triangle that surrounded him. With a smirk, Kirai grabbed the hilt of his weapon and released his chakra. "Raiton: Raijin's Reparation!" he cried, his eyes fixed upon his target malevolently.

Han whipped his head around in shock as bolts of lightning suddenly broke out from the nodachi, and connected to the wakizashi he was now aware of. Predicting the outcome, he jumped into the air to avoid what he believed would come. His attempt was futile however, as the lightning connecting the three blades suddenly lunged at him, striking his body and armour and making a sound like a whip cracking.

Han's eyes widened in shock as electricity coursed through his entire body, buzzing noisily through the metal framework of his armour and its contents. Instead of steam, smoke rose out of his pipes as several of his inner workings became overheated. Then with a shocking blow, something inside his armour cracked. From the joints of his shoulders, wrists and ankles, a bright blue liquid began dribbling out and down to the ground.

* * *

Gaara slid off of Shinmaru, quietly landing on the ground as he stared at something not too far away. The great dog whined worriedly in turn to Gaara's thoughts, both unsettled by what was lying before them. He however wasn't so obvious with his reaction, instead looking at the mounds of flesh in front of them with what may have been seen as disappointment.

Naruto had collapsed on the ground, his body barely recognisable over the burns and scorches covering his skin. His hair was singed and his slacks were blackened by the remnants of his Jutsu. The bandages that had been on his arms had disintegrated completely, and were nothing more than ash. He was unconscious, and just barely breathing. But it was this fact that saved him from more pain. Had he still been conscious, Gaara would almost certainly have put a stop to that.

"Idiot…" Gaara muttered, as he looked to Shinmaru and nodded. The big dog moved towards his master, and knew from the situation what was probably the best thing to do. Standing so that Naruto was right underneath him, Shinmaru bowed his head and began to lightly lick the unconscious boy. _"That should at least cool him down a little; staying out in the sun like this will kill him."_

Even so, he could already hear the complaints Naruto would later exclaim. But judging by the situation, should Gaara ever become annoyed by Naruto he would have the perfect weapon for quietening him down. It didn't take him long to figure out why his stupid friend had overdone it; even if he was burned Gaara could see the resemblance between Naruto's foe and Hyuuga Neji.

Gaara frowned slightly as something came to mind. Stepping around Naruto and Shinmaru, he went to investigate the body of the person named Kougai. He was in the same condition as Naruto, but he was also covered in countless cauterized cuts that left his skin a horrendous husk. It looked like he too had been wearing bandages, but just like with Naruto they had been reduced to cinders. It was for that reason that Gaara's attention was caught.

Kougai's chest was marked with a giant tattoo, one that seemed more than a little peculiar to Gaara. It depicted the outlined head of an animal that seemed somewhere between a horse and an ox. It bore the long, smooth face of the former while possessing the horns and ears of the latter. But rather than being a simple piece of body art, there were small symbols that spread out from the head and across Kougai's body. His stomach, arms and back were covered in them, presumably his legs were too. Those symbols however were indecipherable to Gaara, though he didn't know much of it in the first place.

"_Seals…"_ he thought, with a troubled expression. From what he remembered from his talk with Deidara, this man had belonged to the Research and Experimental Division. He couldn't help but wonder then if there was any connection between him and Kyoei Taiki. He soon dismissed it however, turning away to look at Naruto. Without knowing the strength of Iwa's Research and Experimental Division, there was no grounds to that theory. _"There are other matters at hand."_

Standing over Naruto, he watched the blond boy impassively as Shinmaru stepped in the way of the sun. Now that the heat of the blazing orb was gone, and he was coated in cool saliva, Naruto's breathing seemed to calm a little. Gaara was silently glad of this fact, but he still had a desire to hit the idiot. Instead however he helped him into the air, using the sand to create a bed that lifted Naruto up and onto Shinmaru's back. Once the master was settled upon his familiar, Gaara tapped Shinmaru to indicate they were leaving. Soon after approaching the end of the rooftop, they dropped down into the dry street below.

"Uuh…"

Gaara cocked a brow in surprise, but kept his eyes straight ahead as he and Shinmaru walked slowly through the shaded street. There were still many enemies around, and he needed to be on guard with Naruto out of commission. "This will be the twelfth time I saved your life now." he said, as the sand spread out in the case a quick shield was needed.

"Hey… I told you already…" Naruto murmured, his eyes closed and his lips just barely moving. He limply raised his hand and pointed his finger towards the sky, the effort and pain of this obvious. "It doesn't count when _you're_ the one who puts me in this state." he finished, with the faint remnant of a smirk.

"Alright then, the seventh time."

Naruto chuckled faintly, letting his hand fall onto his stomach. He winced in pain from doing so, but his thoughts were elsewhere as he lightly rubbed himself. "Uh… Gaara?" he asked, peeking through his barely open eyelids to his red haired friend. "What the hell am I covered in?"

* * *

Han landed on one knee, smoke billowing from his armour in a cloud thicker than his steam had been. The lightning had finally subsided and he was allowed to drop into the puddle of blue liquid that had once been inside his suit. His head hung low and loose, looking like he was on the verge of collapsing. Kirai recognised this well and pulled his nodachi from the ground, preparing to finish the job.

"Well _niisama_… looks like you're not all you were made out to be." he said, as he turned the blade to the side. Then stepping over to his older brother, he moved the long sword so that the blade was resting just under Han's chin, almost supporting it in an obscure sense. "Once I'm done with you, I'll find that bastard and do the same to-"

But then he stopped, not by choice but by force. Seeing his brother in that condition had made him forget about the steam attached to his own body, the steam that was now making itself known to him. Looking at his body in alarm, he realised that the heat of the steam was rising far past normal accounts. It was burning, a pain that could only be caused by fire despite there being none. But the odd thing was, it wasn't his skin that was burning. It was his blood.

"Wha-" he began, but never got his words out. He suddenly choked, grabbing his heart as he stumbled forward. The pain was still there, searing like hell itself was opening from within him. But he barely noticed it; his focus was on his vital organ. He stared at his brother as he clutched at his chest, gaping as the taste of blood filled his mouth. "You… monster!"

He fell onto his hands and knees, tearing off his mask quickly. As soon as he had an opening, he began puking red onto the roof of the battleground. Blood was flowing not only from his mouth, but from his nose, his ears and even his eyes. He shuddered from the gruelling sensation, blinking heavily as he tried to clear his vision. Lifting his head he looked at his brother once more, before chuckling dryly. "So this was your power… for once I am glad to call you my brother." he said, as his arms gave from beneath him and he fell to the ground.

In front of him, Han was raising his head to meet his younger sibling's gaze, breathing heavily from the increasing temperature in his suit. It was agonizing to stay like this, he hurriedly began removing his armour from his body. First came his mask, revealing a white fabric one underneath. Then he removed his gi, before quickly discarding his chest piece and sliding off his gauntlets. The discarded pieces of armour revealed melted tubes of plastic amidst the steam pipes. It was those tubes that the blue liquid came from; most probably a coolant to compensate for the steam.

Once all the armour was removed, Han pressed his hands against the rooftop as he sat back, breathing heavily once more. He wore a light white shirt and trousers underneath that armour, one that matched with his mask and the veil of his hat that he still wore. He turned his eyes back to his brother, seeing that Kirai was fading away fast. But even in spite of this, his younger sibling was laughing.

"You're looking pretty relaxed, _niisama._" he said, sneering at the reference he made to Han. Even though he lay there dying like a dog, he still wore a superior look to him as if he had discovered something Han would rather no one else knew. "Looks like you're gonna trust that Deidara bastard with _her_, am I right?"

Han blinked suddenly, fixing his eyes upon Kirai's with a hard stare. His look told Kirai all he needed to know, and the dying nin turned his head away with a smirk. "That bastard stabbed me in the back by taking the scroll and running off." he said, his expression turning angry and even regretful. "You think he won't use her as a bargaining chip, you stupid ass?"

Han watched Kirai intently, his eyes widening as his brother's logic got to him. He was in a bad state from that lightning attack, but he wasn't terribly wounded. He was already halfway to his feet when Kirai coughed up another puddle of blood. "Guess this is it bro…" came his hoarse voice, showing him to be on the edge of death. "Wouldn't do to keep tousan waiting right? He'll be lonely… down there."

Han looked down at his brother, and for a moment he forgot his anger. He saw only the spunky kid who knew better how to glare than apologise. For a moment he felt a pang of regret, resentment for his failure as an elder brother. He moved over to Kirai and crouched down, moving his head close to his younger sibling's. With one hand he slid his mask off, and moved his lips to Kirai's ears. Then he softly whispered something, his words just barely reaching his brother's ears. Kirai blinked to himself, looking blankly down at the ground. Then he slowly closed his eyes, and took his final rest.

* * *

It was a short while later that Han stepped through the wilderness, his mask back in place and his eyes as hard as ever. He had packaged his armour together in a rough bundle that slung over his shoulder, and was walking outside the village as he followed the faint trail that he was sure belonged to Deidara and his accomplices.

He stepped out from a valley into a small clearing filled with dry bushes and dust. This place was somewhere to the south of the village he was supposed to be protecting, it was a lesser used path that would provide evacuation for the villagers in times of need. As for now however, it seemed that need had passed.

Not far to his left there was a shack, made out of old wood and barely standing on its own. It was a small place, probably just a single roomed home. In front of that shack, with their backs pressed against the wall, Deidara and the red haired boy stood watching him. Han stopped to look back at them, taking note of the half conscious blond boy resting on a mat in the shade. But then his eyes returned to Deidara, locking his pink eyes with his former student's blue.

The two stared at each other for several silent moments, neither eager to make the first move. Han was still wary of Deidara's intentions, but when the ex Iwa-nin jerked his head into the cabin, he stopped thinking about that. Hesitantly he walked over, his attention locked upon the rickety door in front of him. He had just begun to reach up for it however, when Deidara stopped him with a hand to the shoulder. "I probably don't need to tell you this, but we don't have much time." he said, keeping his eyes away from his old sensei. Han glanced over to him, before giving a small nod. Then, cautiously, he pressed his hand against the door and pushed it open.

He walked inside the small dark room that made up the shack, keeping his eyes fixed upon the wall opposite as he closed the door behind him. He stood silently with a tentative breath, slowly looking around the ramshackled shack. He skipped over the disused furnishings of the cabin however, as he turned his gaze to the one other living thing in the room with him.

There she was, a young woman who would be around nineteen years old. She was dressed in the clothes of a servant, and her long black hair was rather unkempt. Her skin was pale and her body thin, she seemed to be on the worse side of nourishment. But that round face, and those icy blue eyes filled Han's focus, overcoming everything else. The young lady was looking back at him with parted lips, her eyes showing not happiness or sadness, but fearful disbelief. She looked like she couldn't quite understand what she was seeing, possibly judging it as a mistake. She turned her eyes away, bowing her head in an almost ashamed manner. "I'm sorry." she said, her voice softer and quieter than any other sound Han had heard in years. "If Kirai-sama finds out someone was here, he'll be angry."

Han listened to her speak, but he couldn't quite comprehend her words. He took an unsteady step forward, his wide eyes brimming with tears of shock and relief. The young woman, Rei, darted her eyes over to him as he drew nearer. She too looked like she was ready to cry, but was trying her very hardest to keep herself composed. This became more and more difficult however as Han drew nearer, faint sounds like moans coming from behind his mask. But then he reached her, and he came to a dazed stop. Rei refused to look at him, and he refused to look away. Both of them were shaking lightly, as if they thought any more would cause the moment to shatter like silence.

Then Han slowly settled, his body stilling and his eyes calming. With a delicate hand he reached around, before nervously placing it upon the back of her head. Rei's eyes widened, and tears slipped down her cheek as she let out a silent gasp. Then, in a move that shocked both of them, she threw her arms around Han's waist and gripped him tight. She didn't cry, though tears rolled down her cheeks. She just clung on tight, her fear no longer on breaking the moment, but letting it fade away. Han reciprocated this, slipping down to his knees and wrapping his arms around his little girl, holding her tight.

Outside the shack, several minutes had passed without the slightest sound coming from inside the shack. Deidara and Gaara kept their eyes fixed dead ahead, trying their best to ignore anything they might hear while they waited. Though it had been Deidara who found Rei, he hadn't made his presence known to her. He had instead brought Gaara and Naruto over, while waiting for Han to arrive. Though he had been surprised to see Naruto in the condition he was in, his thoughts had of course belonged somewhere else.

"Hey, are we done?" Naruto asked, loosely raising his hand to remind his two accomplices that he was still there. Even though his body was still in a bad state, he was a lot more aware than he was ten minutes ago. He had even managed to create a small team of Kage Bunshin to run off and distract anyone who may be following their trail. But he himself would definitely be out of commission for at least a few days, those Kage Bunshin were all he had left in him.

"That's up to Han-sensei now." Deidara replied, in a low voice so not to disturb the people inside. He had been wearing an unseasonably serious expression since they had stopped here; there was no denying he was in a rather antsy mood at the moment. "His ties to Iwa are pretty much nonexistent, and with Rei-chan back he may want to leave all the more. But then again, maybe not… un."

"So we're in the same situation we would be if we'd never hired you at all?" Gaara asked, ignoring Naruto's condition in the context he spoke of. Deidara took a pause to think about that, but just as he opened his mouth to reply, footsteps inside the shack could be heard. The matter was dropped as the two of them watched the door, with Naruto listening closely.

The door opened up and Han stepped out, with his arm around his daughter's shoulder. Rei seemed to still be in shock a little; her eyes were still streaming and her attention was a little out of focus. As for Han, he was almost the complete opposite. He seemed quietly happy, which was something that was of no surprise. But of course he hid that feeling well, missing the fact that his brow wasn't creased like it usually was. The first person he set his eyes upon was Deidara, who was looking straight at him over folded arms.

"No matter how you look at it, you're affiliated with us now." he said, his eyes flickering over to Rei. He paused for a moment as he looked at her, a face he hadn't seen in years. He continued to look at her even as he spoke to Han, trying his best to keep the situation moving at a good pace. "Kirai trained her in some Shinobi arts, she can use the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. That means she'll get conscripted right away, and probably get a position near the Tsuchikage to keep _you _in line, hm."

Despite the joy he had in finding his daughter again, Han let his expression grow serious once more. He understood full well what Deidara meant, and understood that he was most probably right. "I don't expect you to trust me, but hear me out for a moment." his old pupil continued, turning so he was directly facing him. "These guys, Uzumaki Naruto and Sabaku no Gaara, they only hired me to help find you. Aside from that, I'm not affiliated with them. But since they played a major part in this operation, you at least owe them your ears for now, yeah?"

Han stared hard at Deidara for a moment, before looking over his shoulder at Naruto. Most likely he was looking at the boy's injuries, and thinking about the reason he had them. In the end, he turned his attention back to Deidara, and gave a reluctant nod of confirmation.

Gaara didn't waste a moment then, stepping around Deidara and looking Han straight in the eye. "We have a base in Nami no Kuni." he explained, once he was certain he had the giant nin's attention. Even though there was a massive difference in height, both nin showed each other equal respect by the looks in their eyes. "Iwa won't be able to follow us, since that place falls under Konoha's jurisdiction. On the condition that you join us, Rei-san is welcome to stay there, or even in the village nearby if you prefer."

Han stared at Gaara for several long moments, neither Shinobi blinking or giving any other sign that they were more than well crafted statues. Even Rei was beginning to catch wind of the situation, looking up between her father and Gaara with uncertain looks. She even looked confusedly at Deidara, taking a moment to recognise him. But when she did, she gasped loudly and stepped back, accidentally tripping over Naruto and falling onto her rear.

"Ow!" she and Naruto complained in unison. Han, Deidara and Gaara watched the pair with raised brows; it seemed almost like adding insult to injury on the list of Naruto's current problems. Han quickly stepped over to help Rei back on her feet, checking to make sure she was ok. Rei began to look at what had caused her to fall, but Han distracted her by being more than a little fussy. "P-papa!"

That word caused Han to stop, looking down at Rei with clear surprise. Following her request, he stepped back from her silently, but his worried expression was still clear. He lowered his eyes to the ground, thinking to himself for a moment. Then, when he had settled on something, he turned around to face Gaara. The red haired boy looked up at him impassively, though it was clear he was still waiting for an answer to his offer. After another moment of second guessing himself, Han half-heartedly raised his hand to Gaara. Without the slightest change in expression, Gaara accepter the hand and shook it, nodding gratefully. Unless there was a sore misinterpretation, the Gobi Jinchuriki had agreed to join them.

* * *

The sky shone orange there in the village, the red rocks to the distance causing a slight bloody tint that was of course unwelcome in this tragic place. It had taken a long time, but order was finally restored and the civilians sent on their way. The last remaining Shinobi were tracking down their targets, who were making an escape to the north east exit. But these matters were trifling to this person, the one crouching in the window of one of the taller buildings.

As always the wind was stuffy and unfavourable, but it came nonetheless, carrying with it the scent of smoke that filled the burn marked village. Kyoei Taiki witnessed this sight with a small smirk across his lips, clearly enjoying the sight in front of him for whatever reasons his unethical mind concocted. He slid out of the window and down the wall of the building he had hidden in, coming to a stop on a rooftop farther down.

Not far away from him, on a house just a little away, there was the body of someone who was rather familiar to him. After a short couple of jumps, he approached this person with a smile on his face, looking down at the body of Edo no Kougai with a supercilious sneer. "Well don't just go dying on me." he muttered, before giving a sharp kick to the Shinobi's waist. That kick was filled with static that ran through Kougai's body, though it was an ineffective gesture in the end. "Am I really supposed to believe _you're_ Iwa's top assassin?"

Kyoei continued to look arrogantly down at Kougai, but he was soon met with retribution as the dead man's hand grabbed at his leg, before pulling hard and forcing the boy to fall over. Kyoei cried out in shock and pain, and the hand released him. "So that's how you would treat the dead?" Kougai asked, as his eyes slowly opened up. He looked at the sky with a bitter but stoic expression, making that move there had tired him out more than his earlier fight had. "I'll keep that in mind."

Kyoei shot Kougai a nasty look, but it was soon abandoned as he gave his fellow freak an expression of interest. "You say that as if it'd offend me." he remarked, as he pushed himself up to a half seated position. From where he was now, bruise marks on his neck were clearly visible. It looked almost like he had rubbed soot onto his throat. "So what's your excuse?"

Kougai glanced aloofly at Kyoei, studying the contusions on the creepy boy's skin. It didn't take him more than a moment to work out what his question was based on. "Looks like you found your target as well." he muttered, as he turned his eyes back to the sky again, before answering the question asked. "I never take out my enemy in the first fight."

Kyoei's smirk suddenly grew upon hearing that, turning into a full on grin that somehow made him look even more haunted than before. "You make it sound like this isn't the first time you've ended up like this." he noted, eying Kougai curiously. But when Kougai dismissed his comment, he let out a sigh and pushed himself to his feet, before looking north with a dubious expression. "Guess this means we've got something interesting to report to Tsuchikage-sama."

"The Kyuubi and the Ichibi…" Kougai added, his eyes distancing a little as he saw his opponent clearly once more. "So Konoha doesn't have theirs either…"


	47. From the sky into the night

Heh heh, this is one of those chapters I've been waiting for for a long time now. Someone commented that the last one was rather "lacklustre". Well I doubt the same thing could be said for this one. Topping it off with one that reached almost 5000 words, I'm considering raising my minimum word count per chapter from 4000 to 4500. Well, we'll see if this length streak continues before I make a decision like that. Anyways, I'm just waiting for the rant from one certain person. You know who you are.

Disclaimer: Anyone else think Hidan and Pein are contrasts?

* * *

**From the sky into the night**

The three figures sat silently at the bar, looking into their glasses with solemn expressions. All around them there were people enjoying the afternoon, eating at tables or drinking with their friends. But the crowd were as well as silent to these three at the moment. None of the sounds of speech or other such noises reached their ears. For the moment their attentions were only on each other, and the time that would soon be arriving upon them.

Rei looked up from the bar to her father, and then to Deidara on his left. She had been shocked to see him at first, but didn't shun him away as he had thought she would. However they hadn't talked either, even though both of them had spent time thinking of what to say. "This… this place is nice." she muttered feebly, looking down into the glass in her hands once again.

"I wouldn't bother remembering it; it won't be open for much longer." Deidara replied, hiding a smirk behind his hand as he watched the barkeep from the corner of his eye. This one was a new guy; the old one had apparently quit quite suddenly and headed off for Tanzaku Town in search of a "safer position". Not feeling the least bit guilty, Deidara drained his glass and looked up at the ceiling, before letting out a tired sigh. "Guess I better get going, Sasori hates it when I'm late."

Han and Rei both watched Deidara as he rose to his feet, watching as he flashed them a grin and began to pass by. But before he could make any distance, Han grabbed him suddenly by the arm. Deidara looked over to his old sensei, taking begrudging not that even when sitting down the older man could look down at him.

The two stared at each other for several long seconds, exchanging things that weren't spoken in words. Han's hand slipped away after a moment longer, but he held the stare. Deidara did the same, but let his expression grow into a full on grin to combat his sensei's hard look. "Y'know, you look weird without that heavy armour on, yeah?" he said, before continuing on. But the look that he'd shared allowed him to do one more thing. "Take care Rei-chan." he said, giving a wave as he made for the door.

"Oh, you too Dei-chan." Rei said, blinking in surprise as Deidara's waving hand twitched. She hadn't realised what she'd called him, or maybe she just didn't think of it. In either case, she continued to watch as Deidara finished his wave and stepped out of the bar, before disappearing from sight. Then, after a few moments of watching, she dropped her gaze, before looking up again at her father. Han looked back at her with a raised brow, noticing her hesitance. "…T-Touchan, do you have to wear that in here?" she asked with a slightly embarrassed look. "It's hard to recognise you with that mask on anyway."

Han blinked in surprise at the request his daughter made. He hadn't even noticed he was still wearing his kasa, so used was he to wearing it. But he wasn't about to turn his daughter down, so with a smile he took it off and laid it down on the now empty chair beside him. With that gone, he ruffled his brown spiky hair and reached behind his neck, pulling out the long ponytail hidden inside his clothing. The hair fell down all the way to the small of his back, and was just as messy as the shorter hairs on his head.

Rei looked at his now more familiar self with a smile, and once more her eyes began to tear up. This had been happening to her a lot since the reunion, now was actually the first time she'd had the courage to ask anything of her father. "I really don't get anything from you, do I?" she asked, tilting her head a little so that her dark, straight hair fell down to the bar's surface. Han could only smile in reply; he had been thinking such a thing for many years now.

Other footsteps could be heard as someone who drew Han's attention walked into the room. Rei looked behind her with a curious expression, seeking the person who her father had noticed. "Hey uh… you crying again?" Naruto asked, as sensitive as ever. He had walked in with a grin on his heavily bandaged face, but after seeing Rei's eyes his smile had turned into a questioning look. Rei had been the one to put him in the state he was in; her knowledge of first aid had been more than a little surprising. Aside from that, Naruto's healing ability meant that even though his body was still fragile underneath the layers of gauze, he was able to walk easily. Having said that, he had been sleeping quite a lot. "Yo, Han-san, how's it going?"

Han gave Naruto a tired look, it seemed Naruto still hadn't given up on trying to get a word out of him. Ever since they left the village Han had been tasked with guarding, where Naruto had tried a rather… unorthodox method getting him to talk, was henceforth treated with silence. As it would seem, Han didn't appreciate the finer arts of Naruto's perverted transformation technique. In fact, rather than earning a few words, what Naruto was given was what could only be politely described as a powerful sedative… in the form of a fist to the gut. Well at least then Naruto got to hear a cry of rage, that was something right?

Of course, there was the distinct possibility that the Jutsu itself hadn't been the cause of Han's rage. Ever since Naruto used it, Rei had also been rather shy around him, maybe as a result. Even now she averted her gaze, her cheeks reddening as she fixed her attention to a bottle lined on the wall. "Good evening… Naruto-san." she said, trying to keep her voice from showing her embarrassment.

Naruto squinted at her as he sat down, he hadn't really any idea why she acted so cold around him. He had lost consciousness before he could see her expression back then. "Deidara gone?" he asked, looking between the two curiously. Rei gave a quick nod before looking up at Han, who had rose to his feet. She began to rise herself, but when Han put a hand on her shoulder and smiled to her, she settled back down. Then he departed in the opposite direction of Deidara, going towards the bathrooms.

Rei looked around as Naruto took a seat beside her, even though the stools were fixed to the ground she couldn't help but feel he was a little close. Though that could be true in any case, even Han being near made her nervous. However, Naruto broke that feeling by saying something she found rather strange. "Hey, can I get a glass of water, and an onion?" he asked, raising his hand to the barkeep.

"A- an onion?" the barkeep repeated, giving Naruto and uncertain look. "Are you sure about that?" he asked for safety sake. When Naruto grinned and nodded in reply, the barkeep placed his dishtowel down and headed through to a door behind the bar. He was gone for a few moments, but when he returned he had in his hands the items Naruto had asked for. "Here you go sir."

"You eat raw onion?" Rei asked, as Naruto thanked the barkeep and accepted his requests. It seemed like a strange thing, from what she knew even a little onion could be overpowering. But a whole one? That seemed outright strange to her. Then again, this boy had been burnt alive to the point where he couldn't move, yet here he was now sitting in a bar with a grin on his face.

Naruto lifted the onion and looked at it closely, before tossing it in the air and catching it. "Nah, I hate vegetables." he said, as he raised his free hand into a single seal. Then, once he was ready, he brushed his finger across the surface of the onion, until he had gone all away around it. To Rei's surprise, the onion fell into two perfect halves, which Naruto held aside from her. "Still, if you're crying then it's better if I am too. Don't want people blaming me for it or anything."

Rei wore a surprised look as Naruto turned away from her, then raised the onions to his face. She and the barkeep blinked in alarm at his foolishness. She uncertainly raised her hand towards him, a worried expression on her face. "Um… Naruto-san?" she asked, placing her hand upon his shoulder before she'd realised what she'd done.

Naruto then surprised her again by turning around, his face screwed up tight. Tears streamed down his face at an alarming rate, soaking his bandages and dripping off his chin. "I… I…" he said, his voice quivering from the burning sensation in his eyes. "I think I just did something stupid!"

* * *

The cold stone floors were hard on his knees, and the bonds on his hands were much too tight. The dampness in the air was affecting his throat terribly, and the low pressure to it was making a ringing in his ears. Coupled with the fact that he had been like this for hours, he was falling into the pits of despair. But he _was_ a Shinobi after all; if he couldn't keep through this for a mere few hours then he would have no right to go by such a name.

The sound of a door opening stirred him from his thoughts. He raised his head quickly, the chains binding him to the wall rattling from his sudden movement. The flickering torches on either side of the room served to show him his visitor, even if the light quality was poor. But looking at that person, the imprisoned Shinobi paled.

A man had entered the room, one bearing a large black cloak adorned with red clouds. Long orange hair fell down around a slashed Ame headband, framing the heavily pierced face that looked upon him with grey rippled eyes. The black studs in his cheeks and chin, along with the slanted bar through his nose were each reminiscent of a certain person that the imprisoned Shinobi was unfortunately aware of. This was one of the many bodies of Pein, the one known as "Human Realm".

That Pein closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room, not taking his eyes off the prisoner for a second. He moved closer to the person with a remarkable expression that showed both listlessness and cold command. "So it was you after all, Kohaku-san." he said, as he placed his hand upon the shaggy pale blue hair of one of his highest ranked underlings. "I wouldn't say I'm all that surprised."

"I wish I could say the same, Pein-sama." Kohaku replied, giving his leader a serious but unthreatening look. Pein however had no interest in words of denial; he had all the proof he needed and more. If that wasn't all, he now had answers to some questions that had been troubling him for a while now. His grip tightened on Kohaku's head, his eyes losing focus as he stopped looking at the immediate world.

Whatever he was doing, it caused Kohaku's eyes to roll back in his skull and his mouth to open slightly. After a few moments of Pein's concentration, saliva slipped past Kohaku's lips and began dribbling down his chin. But of course, this was of no interest to Pein. Instead, his attention was focused on things that couldn't be seen, secrets that were left unspoken. The mind of Kohaku was opening up to him like an old book, telling him stories of which even Kohaku may have forgotten.

This investigation of sorts lasted for a while, with Kohaku's mental degeneration going on and on without a second's compassion. But when Pein's attention returned to the room, the torture seemed to come to an end. He lifted his hand from Kohaku's head, and his former captain collapsed, most certainly dead. Pein watched Kohaku for but a moment, before he turned and made his way out of the room. There were many pests he needed to deal with.

* * *

"Ah… damn it." Naruto murmured, as he rubbed his eyes with the base of his palm. In the short time he had held them to his face, the onions had done a marvellous job of irritating his eyes. Right now he looked far worse than Rei did, at least she just became teary every now and then. "Man, I probably look like a wimp or something."

"You… shouldn't have done that then!" Rei replied, smiling apologetically at him. It was strange, though she had been nervous of Naruto before, after he went and did something as peculiar as that, she couldn't help letting her guard down. She almost felt like laughing, but in truth she was still feeling a little edgy. Just how long was her father going to take?

Naruto lowered his hands from his face and rested his arms on the table. He let out a sigh of discomfort as he looked over to the bathrooms, and then to Rei. "Hey uh, I was just thinking…" he said, trying his best to be careful in case he said something that was maybe too personal. "We're all going to the same place, you might even say we'll be living together. It'd be lame if we were all tense and stuff, so you think maybe we could clear the air?"

Living together… for some reason Rei was sure if anyone else had said that she would have felt embarrassed by it. But there was nothing suggestive about Naruto's words; there was a kind of naivety about him that made her relax a little. "Well… I guess that's fine." she replied, shuffling a little in her seat. Once she was settled, she looked at Naruto uncertainly, but willingly. "What… do you want to know?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully, raising his eyes as he considered Rei's question. In truth, there were many things he wanted to know, but few wordings he could think of to go with them. "Well… I guess there _is_ one thing that's kinda bothering me." he admitted, as he placed his hand down again and looked at Rei. "Well, Han-san is a lot older than any of the other people like us that I've met… so what I'm wondering is… why did he stay with Iwa all that time?"

Though Naruto and Rei had been looking each other in the eye, when that question was posed Rei broke contact. For but a moment she looked unsettled again, but soon hid this behind a smile as she looked back at Naruto. "Oh… you see…" she began, hesitating halfway through. "Well… I suppose that the reason would be me."

Naruto raised his brow in surprise at that, even if rational thought should have allowed him to reach that conclusion. Rei turned in her seat to face the bar again, her eyes distancing as her fake smile turned into a smaller, sadder one. "I guess you could say my being born was an order made by the Tsuchikage." she said, speaking for the first time in full, unbroken sentences. "Touchan was arranged to marry Okaasan, who was the Tsuchikage's grandniece. Touchan and Okaasan got on well, they hadn't even been married a year before I was born. But after that, Okaasan was ordered to return to duty in Iwagakure, and Touchan was left to raise me."

Naruto, who had turned his eyes to the front, gave a slight nod of understanding. So then Han was left to raise Rei on his own then? _"That must have been pretty tough."_ he thought, as his expression turned quietly exasperated. He had some idea of what it was like to raise living things, the dogs had taught him something of responsibility. But he was sure that raising a child was a little more complicated than leaving out food, taking walks and flicks to teach them what not to do. _"Guess I'll cut him some slack then."_

He cast a slight glance over to Rei, noticing she seemed to have said all she was comfortable with. There was also a feeling coming from her, a shy expectance that told Naruto she was waiting for him to return the favour. He leant backing his chair, thinking carefully as he tried to decide what would be ok to tell her. But before he could come to a decision on that, he was met by a sudden backhand to the face.

"OFF GUARD!"

Naruto flew off his chair and hit the ground hard, gasping in pain as his still healing body cried out. Rei let out a small scream of shock as she bounced off her chair and backed off, staring at the assailant with terrified eyes. Naruto however felt no such fear, only anger at being disturbed like this. "BASTARD, I'LL KILL-" he began, before coming to a stop. He stared hard at the person who had attacked him, blinking several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Kisame-sensei?"

The giant blue faced swordsman grinned down at Naruto, reaching out with his hand and grabbing his disciple by his haori. With barely any effort he pulled Naruto to his feet, before giving him a pat on the head that nearly floored the blond once again. "Long time no see brat-" he began, before coming to a pause. He stared at Naruto's face for a while, before his expression turned to something suddenly pitiless and quite creepy. "You been crying?"

Naruto's brow raised in shock as he rapidly felt fear for his life. Raising his arm to rub his eyes vigorously, he shook his head before his sensei gave him a reason to cry. "Nah, just doing stupid stuff again." he replied, in the hope that would be enough of an answer. He looked up at Kisame again, who seemed to doubt the explanation. Deciding a proper one would only result in another attack, Naruto decided a change of subject was probably best. "What're you doing here sensei?"

Kisame opened his mouth to answer, but before even a word slipped out he was forced to turn his attention elsewhere. The bathroom door up ahead had burst open, Han flying through it as he reacted to Rei's cry. He locked eyes with Kisame and quickly assessed the situation even while still moving. He ran for the intruder, while Naruto and Kisame watched with surprised looks painted on their faces.

"Wait, Touchan!" Rei cried, quickly turning around. She had soon realised that Kisame was not a threat by Naruto's reaction, and so did her best to rectify the situation. Han of course didn't hear her, his eyes were burning in a rage. "It's ok!" she called, reaching out to stop him as his fist raised in the air. Han was ready to charge through, but to his surprise when he tried to run past Rei, her arm succeeded in getting in his way.

Both Naruto and Han's eyes widened in surprise as the white clad nin fell over his daughter's arm, colliding with the blond boy in a blow that knocked him back to the ground once more. "GUAGH!" Naruto cried, as he was met not only with the hardness of the floor, but the weight of the nin on top of him. Though Rei hurried to help her dazed father to her feet, Naruto was in even worse condition. His eyes spun round in spirals as the ceiling spun around. He was pretty sure the two days worth of healing he'd gone through had just been erased thanks to Han's fall.

All around the bar eyes were upon them, not even a whisper spoken amongst the frozen customers. Some had even rose to their feet and moved away from the source of the commotion out of fear of being dragged straight into it. Kisame glanced over from Han to the crowds with an amused look to him, he hadn't shown worry for a moment of Han's spectacle. "Looks like the girl's got some strength behind her." he remarked, with his characteristic grin. Then he looked over his shoulder, jerking his thumb to Han and Rei in a disregarding manner. "These the two you were talking about?"

"Yes." Gaara replied, stepping in from the doorway. He too had been watching the scene with interest, pausing at the door only at Kisame's signal when they'd arrived. There he had remained up until now, with his arms folded and looking rather relaxed. "This is Han-san, the Gobi Jinchuriki, and his daughter Rei-san."

Kisame looked over to the father and daughter again, regarding the two with some respect. Then he fixed his eyes upon Han, feeling a little giddy about seeing someone the same rough size as him. "Hoshigake Kisame." he said, introducing himself for the sake of cooling things down. He jerked his head to Gaara and Naruto, the latter of which was getting back to his feet. "These two are my students, so if they've been acting like idiots, let me know."

Han and Rei looked back at Kisame uncertainly, but after judging the way Naruto and Gaara were acting, they decided to relax. Everyone else in the bar was hardly in a position to say the same however, and the new barman seemed to finally build up the courage to express this. "Please gentlemen… could you not cause so much trouble?" he asked, though personally he was worried for his own safety.

Kisame regarded the barkeep with a cocked brow, it wasn't often that civilian people asked such things of him. For that reason, he gave a nod of reply and sat down at the bar. Naruto and Gaara both took this as indication to do the same, with Han and Rei following shortly after. The barkeep seemed grateful, and soon the crowd behind relaxed down too. Though it took a little while, quiet conversation resumed in the bar, with quite a few words referring to the troublesome group at the front of the bar.

"So sensei, what _are _you doing here anyway?" Naruto asked, as he leant forward on the bar and looked up at his sensei questioningly. Even though it had been but a few weeks, it had felt like months since he and Gaara had been travelling the land with Kisame, training and generally having a good time. Since then, things hadn't felt quite right. Even with that funny guy Utakata and Fuu causing trouble, the laughs just weren't quite the same. "Where's Itachi-san?"

Kisame raised his hand to the barkeep and ordered a bottle of sake, resting his arms on the bar as he waited for his drink. "Itachi has some business to take care of, so he asked me to stay behind." he replied, as he looked to his longer running student from the corner of his eye. "But there was something I had to take care of too, so I told him I'd be going on ahead."

"Something to take care of?" Naruto repeated, blinking stupidly as the gears in his head slowly turned. He watched as Kisame was given his drink, thinking about how coincidental it was to meet his sensei here. Then a light bulb flickered in his mind, and his brow rose in surprise. "Is that something you need us for?" he asked, looking curiously at Kisame.

"What a surprise, the runt's quicker on the money than usual!" Kisame replied, his grin broadening as he lifted his bottle of sake to Han. The former Iwa nin refused however, and the ex-Kiri nin shrugged. Since he wasn't going to be sharing his sake, he took a swig straight from the bottle before continuing. "I was just counting on a little something, and thought it'd be best if I check up on you."

Gaara looked up at Kisame at those words, privately curious about what that could be. Though his sensei was clearly talking to Naruto, it was also his business in a sense. Normally when Kisame got an idea, things got very dangerous. Naruto too got an uneasy feeling, but this was marred with excitement as he too got an idea of what Kisame meant. But he could never have been prepared for what Kisame had to say next, the question he posed had him so taken aback his eyes widened in shock.

"You ever heard of a place, called "Uzu no Kuni"?"

* * *

A cold rain began to dribble down from above, as if the sky itself was losing itself to its own disbelief. The world grew that little bit greyer as the thin clouds grew stronger. The sun had closed its eye, turning its back on the scene as it silently lamented the event being displayed with almost mocking pride. Down below, on that lonely grey ground, one would swear the earth had crumpled upon itself in defeat. The ruins of what had once been a proud, if desolate building filled every direction.

Outside this shattered place, trees burned under hellish black flames, ignorant of the downpour going on above them. Those unearthly flames burned slowly, making their departure from the falling grounds while turning the land to sodden ash. It seemed even they wanted nothing to do with the goings on behind them, and there was once person who could hardly blame them for doing so.

"I don't believe it…" Zetsu breathed, his black and white form protruding from a half broken wall. His eyes were wide and his expression stunned. If not for the rain, the fluid running down his face could almost be mistaken for sweat. Then again, there was every possibility that he _was_ sweating. It would hardly be a surprise, considering what he had just seen. "Itachi… lost!"

To the distance, in front of a monolith which bore a white and read paper fan, two people could be seen. One was Uchiha Itachi. He lay down on the ground without his cloak, his simple shirt and trousers hiding the blood that stained his arms and face. The other was Uchiha Sasuke. He stood with his back against that monolith, his shirt missing and blood streaking down from his forehead. His eyes were half open, looking down at the dead Itachi as his breaths came in heavy lungfuls. Far back, Zetsu continued to watch in horrified disbelief.

"_There's no way!"_ he thought, as something that was definitely sweat streaked down his cheek. He looked on as Sasuke lost consciousness, and fell down on the ground beside the other Uchiha. It was too much to take in, that someone like Itachi could have lost to someone like _him_. _**"There's no doubt, Itachi wasn't fighting at full power. He doesn't even **_**look**_** the same."**_

"Uchiha Itachi… what an interesting person."

Zetsu ignored the person on his right, his thoughts were too many to pay much attention to his fellow observer. Hyuuga Neji paid this no thought however. He sat on the broken wall with a smirk on his face, sneering at Sasuke and Itachi over folded arms. Like Zetsu, he had been watching this fight from afar, treated only with the more spectacular sight as the two Uchiha broke through the roof of the pathetic old building.

Several silent moments passed as Zetsu thought to himself, swallowing hard and taking his time to relax. Neji couldn't help noting this; it seemed Uchiha had quite a reputation inside this "Akatsuki" he had heard tell of. Even when Zetsu shrank back into the wall, Neji still wore that expression. He gave the peculiar Shinobi a moment to leave, before he decided to make his move.

Getting to his feet, he leapt off the wall and jumped across the field of debris as he headed towards the two Uchiha, taking the time he felt he had plenty of. It took him a minute, but when he finally reached them he landed softly upon the ground. He then leisurely began to walk towards them with a relaxed expression, letting his eyes drift over the two brothers lazily.

For some strange reason though, the person he headed towards was not Sasuke. Standing between the two Uchiha, Neji turned his back on his "comrade" and looked to the person who he had never met before. He crouched down on the ground and lightly slipped his hand under Uchiha Itachi's head, lifting it a little as he brought his own head closer. "What luck…" Neji muttered, his eyes narrowing a little as a smile spread across his face. Then something happened to his pale, pupil-less eyes. A faint glow emitted from them, steadily growing stronger and stronger until light blazed out of them. As the illumination reached its highest level, Neji's smile spread into a grin. "Ninigi!"

Itachi's eyes suddenly widened under the uttered word, his dark eyes turning red and a black pinwheel forming from his pupil. Neji stared hard at these eyes, his own dimming and taking on an ethereal glow of a purple mist. That glow seemed to drift in a never-ending circle in his eyes. And slowly, the same thing happened to Itachi.


	48. I am the god in my own history

This is a chapter I've been waiting months to write now, I didn't expect these two scenes to show up at the same time. To those of you with sharp minds, the events leading up to now should become much clearer; the secret of the plot is now out. Also, on another point, I've decided that whenever the times come that I'm later than I'd like to update, I'll increase the minimum wordcount for that chapter to 5000. Hell if I'm taking another day to come out with the same thing as I do in two days.

Disclaimer:... This chapter's gonna be marmite, I can tell.

* * *

**I am the god in my own history**

The bar could have as well been silent at that time, for all Naruto was aware of it. He stared at Kisame with bewilderment, his face frozen in its place as he heard his sensei's question repeated within the depths of his mind. Had he heard of Uzu no Kuni? Well, of course he did. It was a place that came to his mind often when he and Eko spoke to one another. But that Kisame knew of it, that was something else altogether.

"Looks like a certain someone has been getting nostalgic." Kisame said, speaking of the Ekokaeten. As always, the swordsman liked to keep some secrets about the seven blades, one of which being the level of awareness those blades possessed. He took another swig from his sake, his eyes distancing as he too looked somewhere that wasn't within these walls. "A _certain someone_ told me about that place too, and some interesting things about it."

Han and Rei both watched Kisame with curious expressions, not possessing the faintest idea of what the monstrous looking Shinobi was speaking of. Gaara had some idea, hiding the fact that Naruto and Kisame could converse with their blades from someone they had spent the last three years with had been less than successful. But even he knew nothing of the place they spoke, and was growing steadily curious himself.

Naruto shuffled uncomfortably, looking into his hands as he remembered the story Eko had once told him about Uzu no Kuni. In truth his thoughts of going there had been dwindling lately, the longer he thought of it the less it seemed important. But now that Kisame too was speaking of it, that changed almost immediately. "That's the place the swords were created, right?" he asked, trying to cut to the point that he eagerly anticipated.

A slap on the back soon told him he'd spread unnecessary information, but neither he nor Kisame really cared all that much. "Yeah, and that's why I'm giving you an… _unofficial _mission." he said, giving a smirk at his own cockiness. Then he cast his eyes to his right, looking at Gaara with that same expression. "That alright with you boss? From what I hear, you've pretty much been running things through there, am I right?"

Gaara gave a nod of reply, meeting Kisame's gaze blankly. He had basically been calling the shots through there as the only one really suited for the job. Yagura was great under pressure and all, but since he knew nothing of Yoinokuchi's true purpose, and Naruto was far from suitable for a managerial position, that left only the red haired silent sand wielder. "Naruto can make his own decisions, as long as it doesn't hurt the group." he replied, with the level of professionalism that could always be expected of him. "Besides, from the state he's in you can see he's a hindrance right now."

Kisame chuckled lightly at his other student's response, eying up the bandages that covered Naruto with a grin. "Yeah, looks like you had a good fight on your hands." he remarked, sitting back in his seat to give the injuries a closer look. "You'd better hope for your sake, Naruto-kun, that whoever you fought to put you in that state isn't in _half_ as good health as you are."

Naruto grinned back at his sensei, the underlying threat having no effect on him whatsoever. He turned in his seat and gave Kisame a two fingered salute. "No worries there, that guy is _definitely_ dead!" he replied, finishing his salute with a flick of his wrist. "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind fighting that guy again! I'm pretty sure I wrapped things up too early back there!"

Kisame couldn't help cocking a brow at his student's confidence, but in Naruto's grin he saw no reason to doubt it. He turned back in his seat and gripped his sake bottle again, but left it there as he smiled to himself. "Well, I can't say I don't understand that!" he agreed, faint signs of reminiscence appearing in his tiny eyes. "Anyway, as I was saying. Uzu no Kuni is a set of islands that lie south of Nami no Kuni. Well, I shouldn't call it that anymore; it's more just a bunch of little islands now. But in there, well, I think you already know who to find."

Naruto thought about it for a moment, before giving a nod in return. He had an idea about it, even if there were doubts in his mind. "Yeah, I know who to find." he replied, thinking of Eko lying in his room. It looked like that offer the blade had made to him years ago would finally be taken up. "I'll head there once we're done taking Han-san and Rei-chan back to base."

While Kisame returned to his drink, Gaara to his silence and the two to his left to their thoughts, Naruto leant forward with a half hearted expression. He had thought when the time came for him to go to that place that he would feel excited by it, giddy at the idea of going to the place where the name "Uzumaki" existed. Though maybe he shouldn't be surprised at that. He knew there was no guarantee of him finding the things he wanted, or needed for that matter. All he had was blind uncertainty, which was something that could drive him mad if left long enough.

Kisame drained the last of his sake and gave his students pats on the back that caused Gaara's sand shield to activate. "Well, guess I'd better be going then, I'll need to find out what my orders are." he said, as he rose to his feet and stepped back from the bar. Gaara and Naruto both looked at him in surprise; they hadn't been expecting him to leave so soon. He met their looks with a broad grin, one that Naruto couldn't help smiling to. "That's six out of nine; you two have been doing a damn fine job. But don't get cocky now. From here on out, things get difficult."

Though Naruto grinned at the appraisal his sensei gave him, Gaara felt no such joy inside him. He looked at Kisame with a curious expression, his head turned over his shoulder as impassively as he could manage. "I thought you said you were waiting for Itachi-san?" he questioned, his tone unassuming despite the fact his question was unnecessary.

Kisame glanced at Gaara with a sideward look, privately revering his student's sharp ears. He paused to look at the ceiling, letting out a long breath of discontentedness. "Funny thing about Uchiha Itachi, he can release one terrifying killing intent." he said, placing his hands on his hips as he bowed his head in an almost respectful manner. "But I've spent years travelling with that kid, and I can tell you this. He doesn't have a single shred of the bloodlust he would have you think. If I know him, he's probably doing something that _isn't_ killing his younger brother."

He raised his head after a moment of silence, looking over the eyes that were upon him. He flashed them all with another grin, before deciding to take his leave. As he turned and walked away, Han too rose to his feet; his business in the bathroom wasn't quite done yet. That left Naruto, Gaara and Rei sitting in a place that without those two adults, they were unwelcome. The three of them sat in silence, until Naruto too rose to his feet and headed for the room he had hired. Then there was just Gaara and Rei, sitting alone.

_THUD!_

Rei jumped in shock, whipping her head over to her right. Gaara's fist had struck the counter hard, his teeth bared and his eyes glaring at the wall across from him. The look on his face was quite scary, Rei was sure that if Gaara was looking at _her_ with that expression, her heart would have started pounding. Fortunately though, Gaara soon calmed himself down. But then he did look at Rei, who grew nervous under his hard stare. "Speak nothing of Kirai." he ordered, his eyes looking deep into hers. "Not to your father, and _definitely_ not to Naruto."

Rei looked back at Gaara fearfully; such expressions like his had taught her to cower back. But she understood the situation enough to know that whatever reason Gaara was acting this way, it was a serious one. She gave a nervous nod of reply, and felt relief as he gave it back gratefully. Then, without so much as another word, he too left the bar, and her to wait on her father.

* * *

The grey skies cried out pails of thunder as the bitter rain poured down below. The village of Ame was cast under the shadow of the heavens, facing the prejudice that had been placed upon it for generations now. Harsh winds chased through the grey streets, rushing people into shelter and out of the way. The neon lights flickered weakly, and the village itself seemed to be caught in the grips of despair.

Far above it, in one of the uppermost rooms of the greatest tower, a single eye was cast upon the downcast streets. The grey, rippling eye of the Rinnegan watched the place with cold apathy, staring through the gap in Nagato's thick red hair. He listened closely to the sounds of the sky, and looked as lightning struck to the distance. With that rain he could sense everyone who walked outside; he knew exactly which of those people were Shinobi, and more importantly what those Shinobi's chakra levels were.

As always, there was one chakra that never failed to escape his rain. One person who could appear right behind him without exuding the faintest signs of chakra presence. In fact, if not for the sound of him growing from the ground, Nagato would never have realised that Zetsu had arrived. In that case, it was most fortunate that he was an ally, and not an enemy. _That_, would be bothersome.

"There's a problem!" white Zetsu announced, the moment the leaves around his head had opened up. His rain and sweat soaked face held a worried expression, contrasting with black Zetsu's ever emotionless face. For someone like him, who delighted in watching interesting Shinobi, to be wearing an expression like that was very concerting indeed. **"Uchiha Itachi has been killed by Uchiha Sasuke."**

Nagato looked over his shoulder with a raised brow, studying the face of his second lieutenant with interest. Though he didn't quite share Zetsu's shock of that matter, it was certainly enough to make him smile. "For some reason that doesn't come as too much of a surprise to me." he said, as he turned his eyes again to the opening in front of him. He casually reached inside his cloak and touched something sitting close to his heart, something hard and smooth. "It looks like it's time then."

Zetsu's face blanked at Nagato's words, his thoughts of Itachi quickly disappearing. He rose the rest of the way out of the ground, stepping forward as he continued to keep his eyes on the back of Nagato's head. "**Time… so it's time for that then?"** black Zetsu asked, with his usual calculating tone. White Zetsu on the other hand took things a little differently, staring in shock with his lips parted. "What about your partner?"

Nagato chuckled faintly, closing his eyes as he slipped the something he'd been touching out of his cloak. He looked it over in his hand with a smirk on his face, showing a sort of relaxation that wasn't well suited to him. "There's a group of insurgents infesting this village's underground." he said, as he raised his hand and ran it lightly through his fringe. "Konan is already long gone by now."

Even though he had been caught in shock a moment ago, a thin smile began to spread across white Zetsu's lips. His eyes narrowed as he watched Nagato from across the room, feelings of gaiety brewing in his chest. **"I see… so then it's finally time."** black Zetsu said, with a meekness white Zetsu could never hope to achieve. The two counterparts looked at the black band that was slipped around the back of Nagato's head, and even black Zetsu couldn't help but be caught staring. "Finally showing yourself, eh Nagato-san?"

Nagato slowly turned his head over his shoulder, revealing his face to be hidden behind an orange, swirling mask with but a single eyehole. He looked out from that hole with a red Sharingan eye, locking it on Zetsu in a cold and penetrating manner. "I already told you; never use that name when I am like this." he said, his voice taking on a much more commanding tone than it had carried before.

White Zetsu's single eye widened along with his smile at the sight of his leader's appearance. With a sly look, he raised his fingers to his mouth, looking like he was barely holding in his laughter. "Then… do you mind…" he began, with the faintest of titters slipping past his lips as his efforts failed him. "If I call you… _Tobi?_"

Nagato cast his eye over Zetsu's face for a moment, considering his estranged subordinate's request. "If you like." he replied, turning his head back to the window in front of him. He saw not the world outside however; he was instead focusing his attentions elsewhere. "We will meet in the northeast base." he added, as the tree tomoe in his eye began rotating around his pupil. This effect grew in speed, moving faster and faster until the tomoe began drawing into the pupil. The red iris suffered this same effect, and more if him still as his head and then body was pulled into the spiralling hole that was his eye. A few seconds later, there were no longer any signs that he had ever been there at all.

* * *

Life had been pretty quiet these past few days, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing at all. With Gaara and Naruto still away on their mission, and Yagura and Fuu off wherever the hell they went, Utakata basically had the run of the place. Right now he sat on the window sill of the bedroom filled with plants, looking outside with his bubble blower held between his lips.

No matter which way he looked at it, things were a whole lot more peaceful here than in Kirigakure. He knew he'd probably be getting an earful from Gaara or Yagura for doing absolutely nothing, but right now he really couldn't care less. He let out another stream of tiny bubbles, watching them as they rose up to the sky calmly, their own serenity almost matching his own.

But that was then disturbed by a rather strange sight, one that made Utakata take his tool in hand and look up at the sky curiously. The silhouette of a large bird broke through the trees above, one that certainly didn't belong to these parts. As that bird came into proper view, Utakata slid off the window sill but kept himself leaning out, making sure the bird could still see him.

As it turned out, it was not one bird but two. Two eagles were flying in tandem, connected by the strings hanging off their feet. It was what lay at the end of these strings that really caught Utakata's attention, a rising sense of apprehension was becoming him. He stepped back to allow the grand birds entry, looking at the pair as they looked back at him. Though he had hesitated, he now moved forward hastily to untie the strings that bound the birds to the box they carried. Almost as soon as they were free, the eagles took off again, leaving him with his delivery.

For a moment he almost didn't know what to do with it. There was only one person who could have sent this, and so only one person who it could be intended for. Not for the first time he felt regret for sending that letter; only now he realised that it may be too late to change his mind. Raising a twitching hand, he reached out to begin unwrapping the parcel. _"Well… I guess this is do or don't."_ he thought, as he continued his task.

After a few moments of concentration, coupled with agitation as some parts of the wrappings proved reluctant, he found himself with a small wooden crate. He took it in both hands, noticing that it most probably _did_ need those two birds to carry it. Laying it down on the bed, he took a kunai from his pouch and began trying to prise it open. It was a tough job, but after some effort he managed to break the lid off with a jolt. Then, warily, he moved it aside to look into the contents. Slowly, he dipped his hand inside, pulling out a folded piece of paper that sat on top of the rest of the contents. He opened it up, his eyes widening in surprise for a moment at the impeccable hand writing, before relaxing as he understood what he saw.

_That idiot Hidan can read, but he can't write a word of truth or lie, so he got me to do this for him. He's ranting a whole lot of shit right now, basically stating that he's Jashin's messenger and that you're next to worthless in comparison. You couldn't have come in person and take him off my hands for a few days? Thanks a lot, I owe you one. Alright, he says in the box is an amulet you'll need to carry at all times. It's what you'll use for prayers. There's also a sort of scripture in there that'll give you your prayers, rituals etcetera etcetera._

_He's making a lot of hype about this, underneath the scriptures is the "relic" he personally picked out for you. He's saying that you should treat it like your most valuable treasure, hypocritical bastard, and use it for your sacrifices. It doesn't matter who you sacrifice, but the more you do the more your immortality can handle._

_He's getting secretive now, probably knows I'm not gonna forget what I hear. He says that if you look in the bottom you'll find a map of the other Jashin temples. Each one has a Jujutsu scroll in it, he won't elaborate any further. If you want to learn the full extent of Jashinism, look for them. He's not going to, he claims he's got enough to meet Jashin's whim and that's all he needs. Shit, he's hyping again, so I'll stop writing._

_Kakuzu._

Utakata looked over from the letter, turning his eyes down the other contents of the box. True to what Kakuzu had told him, there was a small book like the one Hidan had possessed, something that looked like a folded up map and most importantly, a package wrapped in an olive sack. Placing the letter aside, he reached in to the box and carefully slid his hands around the sack. Then, as if it were a baby, he scooped the package up and sat it down on his lap.

"_I guess this is what I'll be using to kill people with." _he thought, before shaking his head vigorously. "_Idiot! I'll only do this as a last resort, got it?"_ he demanded of himself, as his brow creased in self annoyance. But the look wasn't to last; soon he was watching in quiet awe as he began opening the sack. He reached in and pulled the heavy object out from it, laying it upon his lap to see. _"…Whoa…"_

* * *

"_Is that so… huh…"_

Naruto sat atop the roof of one of the side buildings of the resort, looking out to the forest north with a rather tired expression. Beside him lay the Ekokaeten, who seemed almost to be relaxing just like his wielder. They both watched the afternoon sky as the sun drifted down to the horizon, just listening to the sounds going on around them. To be honest, Naruto was getting kind of sick of it.

"Man, think I could get in a fist fight with someone?" he asked, as he dug his pinkie into his ear. Despite his apparent aloofness, he was feeling quite agitated inside, enough so that he would make a dumb suggestion like that. "If there's just one half drunken idiot down there lookin' to make himself look good, then that'd at least give me something to concentrate on."

"_He who learns but doesn't think is lost. He who thinks but doesn't learn gets his ass handed to him."_

Naruto looked at Eko with squinting eyes, clearly lost to the blade's pearl of wisdom. Those words made no sense to him, but he couldn't help feeling that Eko was mocking him again. "Y'know, for a sword, you're kinda hard to understand." he muttered, as he turned his eyes ahead again. He let out a deep yawn that had been gathering in his chest, stretching his arms up high into the air. "So we're definitely going through with this then? Going to Uzu no Kuni I mean."

"_Geez, you're asking me?… Huhh… if Kisame no Danna thinks it'll help, I'm all for it. It's up to you in the end though."_

The disappointment on Naruto's face was more than a little obvious; he didn't like it when choices were given to him. Anything that required deep thought usually hurt his head, he was more suited to being pointed in a general direction and clearing a path. But this was something else, something that required independent thought on his part. That alone tempted him to calling off the idea.

His pessimistic thoughts were interrupted however as he saw a hand grip the roof from below. He watched as Gaara hauled himself up onto the rooftop, giving a small grin of greeting to his unsmiling friend. Gaara stepped up beside Naruto and took a seat next to him, resting his arms on his knees as he looked out over the treetops with him. Naruto kept his eyes on Gaara for a moment, before turning his attention ahead again. It wasn't often his solitary comrade would join him like this; it was usually quite the opposite.

As was common for the lonely boy, Gaara sat with a brooding expression on his pale face. It wasn't surprising that he was deep in thought of something. He really wouldn't be Gaara if he wasn't contemplating some matter or other. But in this case, he seemed rather pensive, meditative almost. He reached into his pouch, digging deep in search of something. He pulled out a thick wad of money, dropping it in Naruto's lap aloofly. "Here, hire someone to get you there and back." he said, without looking at Naruto for a moment. "It'd be a little difficult to explain if we lost one of our members in the middle of the ocean."

Naruto cocked a brow at Gaara in curiosity, and after hearing the explanation he couldn't help but start laughing. Gaara really did know him all too well; he had been planning on taking a rowing boat and paddling his way to Uzu no Kuni. This however, seemed like a much better idea. "Guess I'll do that then." he replied, as he took the money and slipped it into his pouch. Then he lay back on the rooftop with his hands behind his head, staring at the orange sky with a relaxed look on his face. "I'll go there right away, do what needs to be done, then get back in time to help out, ok?"

Gaara looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye, scanning the blond boy from head to toe. Then he let out a long, drawn out sigh as he closed his eyes, removing his gaze in discontentment. "That won't do at all." he said, earning a surprised look from Naruto, and an open ear from Eko. He moved himself a little closer to his knees, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the skyline. "Look at you, if it took a stupid risk like that to win, what're you going to do when you fight two opponents like that? What will you do if one of the others get hurt, and you have to defend them? Fighting on gambits like that will only get you and other people killed."

Naruto stared in silent surprise at Gaara; he hadn't really been expecting to be scolded like a child. But now that Gaara said it, he couldn't help seeing sense. He opened his mouth to admit this much, but Gaara continued talking without giving him the chance to. "Take your time, get everything you can and train until you can watch your allies' backs." he said, in a strong tone that definitely sounded like an order. "Yoinokuchi will not fall without you there. As it is, all we'll be doing are missions to increase the money we've lost this week. Fuu will be getting the training she's missed out on, and I'll be training to control the Shukaku. So you go to Uzu no Kuni, you find this person, and don't come back until you can walk out of a battle in one piece. You'll be no use to us otherwise."

His sharp words cut through Naruto like a katana to cloth, stinging worse than the growing bruises he was developing from Kisame's "greeting". The battered blond boy rubbed the back of his head, wincing from the harshness of Gaara's tone. _"He's right, you're too hot headed."_ Eko told him, failing to make Naruto feel the least bit better about himself. He stopped his incessant scratching and frowned at the clouds passing overhead, before sighing and rising to his feet.

"Hell if I'm sticking around to be called an idiot." he said, taking Eko and slipping him onto his back. He stepped around the front of Gaara and paused, looking down at his friend with a hard stare that was given back to him in equal measure. Naruto however broke the tension by giving both a grin and a wink, showing his ever present ability to cheer himself up in spite of what happened around him. "When I get back, even Kisame-sensei won't be able to stop me!"

Gaara watched as Naruto headed off, running to the end of the rooftop and leaping into the trees. He wore a surprised look at Naruto's tenacity, which still caught him off guard from time to time. When he could hear his friend no longer, he bowed his head again, slipping his thumb between his teeth as his eyes distanced considerably. _"Even Kisame-sensei won't be able to stop you… I wonder what you mean by that?"_ he thought, his expression darkening just a fraction.

_

* * *

_

Tok… tok… tok… tok…

Footsteps echoed out through the open stone basin, as two tiny figures stepped across the bottom. The bones of immense beasts could be seen half buried in the dirt, tusked skulls and curling tails sitting in view menacingly. The arid air and hard ground contradicted the chill wind that breezed on through, ignored by the two down below. The sky could have been ablaze and the earth could be crumbling, but the things that these two were most attentive of where of course each other.

"You wish to join?" asked Pein's Deva realm, as he looked mistrustfully to his left. He had held deep conversation with the person beside him, and concluded many things. But the most prominent of those things he had decided was that of this person, an agenda was so far unclear. "You of course understand what it is that Akatsuki seeks? What could you possibly gain in benefit to allying yourself to us?"

The person beside him, who seemed almost incapable of removing his smirk, chuckled faintly at Pein's question. "I suppose there are many things I can gain." said Hyuuga Neji, as he idly watched the path ahead. It seemed he was being directed to a strange rock set in front of the stone face of the basin. From that rock, he got a strange feeling, one of distant familiarity despite his certainty of never having encountered it before. "There are some things I am looking for, things that I wouldn't be likely to find on my own."

Pein listened to Neji's obscure explanation with expected politeness, though he himself didn't like the Hyuuga's superior tone. He felt almost certain that this person wouldn't understand his own motives, and therefore could see that he would never trust this arrogant boy. "If you wish to find these things through Akatsuki, you will of course have to assist us as well." he said, as they reached the rock which Neji had been keeping his focus upon. "For example, I would like you to tell me what you can find from _this_."

As it seemed, what lay before them wasn't a rock as Neji had thought, but a stone tablet placed into the ground. It was marked with several seals Neji was unfamiliar with, but he knew well that what Pein wanted from him was not skills as a decipherer. _"Then he believes there is something here worth finding, but he cannot risk damaging it."_ he thought, as his eyes narrowed in amusement. Slowly, he activated his Byakugan, the veins outside his eyes growing and the faintest outline of a pupil becoming defined. With these eyes, he could see the inside of the tablet clearly. But what he did see, struck as even more curious than he thought it would be. _"The Byakugan alone isn't enough? … Well then…"_

With his interest significantly heightened, Neji moved on to the next level of his Byakugan. The veins in his temples slowly retracted away, and his iris began to glow brighter and brighter, until the Genwaku Byakugan had been achieved. Now things became so much clearer, his brow rose in pleasant surprise. He could see that Pein was watching him from the corner of his eyes, waiting for an answer he felt sure to come. Deciding not to antagonise this person with such strange eyes, Neji spoke the words he read.

"To his three children, he granted his eldest son with his eyes, his younger son with his form, and his youngest daughter… with his inheritance."


	49. As black as the seal on my soul

Damn, I was sure I'd get everything that happens in this story day done in one chapter. Ah well, one more for the roster eh? I wonder if there will be some who are still scratching their heads at the end? Incidentally, congratulations to Wuxmus for figuring out something that very few would have noticed, that's a keen eye you've got there! Well... best get started on the next one I guess, I don't want this situation dragging out longer than it has to.

Disclaimer: Ok... Naruto just got kinda badass.

* * *

**As black as the seal on my soul**

The day came in a drowsy dawn, the thick air providing little satisfaction to the warm breeze that passed on by. The birds seemed to be quite content in their shaded trees, chirping away as they watched the ground for morsels to eat. The other inhabitants of the woods were just as idle, napping in their holes, warrens or wherever they called their home. There were few who would admit that the time had come to begin moving, most would rather ignore the sun and say it was dusk.

The same of course could be said for Naruto, who had no other choice but to acknowledge the morning and be on his way. He walked sluggishly, his posture hanging as sweat ran down his face and neck. His hand raised to rub his sleepy eyes, his other to waft cool air into his haori. Unfortunately for him there was no such air on offer. And what was more, Eko was heating up pretty badly in the light of the blazing sun, despite the fact that most of him was obscured behind his wielder.

Naruto let his arms hang as his mouth stretched wide open, releasing a large and loud yawn that almost made his lungs burst from strain. "Hy-yaaaaaaan!" he exhaled, almost catching flies for his breakfast. There had seldom been a day more suited for lethargy, and as expected this was a day that could little afford it. He wanted to get to Uzu no Kuni as soon as was possible for him, and for that reason he decided not to risk missing a boat that could take him there.

"_Come on, even if you miss the boat at least you'll be able to relax when you _do_ get there." _Eko said, in an attempt to bolster Naruto's enthusiasm. Since the blade knew no such thing as tiredness, and spent a great deal of time inactive, it was only natural that he would be impatient and ignorant to the needs of those who _could_ freely move. _"Man, for someone with a monster sealed inside of him, you really don't act like it do you?"_

"_Whaddaya want me to do, throw my head the air and start laughing evilly?"_ Naruto asked in reply, clearly in no mood for the Ekokaeten's jibes right now. He was tired, hot and starving, no _way _was he in the mood for being made fun of by a heavy ass sword with an attitude problem. He'd sooner take on Kakuzu bare handed than listen to the blade's bullshit. _"Keep it quiet or I'll pawn you off for some ramen!"_

Even though Eko knew Naruto wasn't serious in his threat, he quietened down for his sake. Though this of course wasn't without a brooding sense coming from the great sword's form, but Naruto was more than a little willing to ignore that. In fact, even if he hadn't been willing he probably would have ignored it anyway. Up ahead, from in the midst of the trees, something very interesting was stepping out before his sleep-craving eyes.

"Hello friend, you seem to be in quite a state!" called out an ugly man, with a voice almost as greasy as his dark hair. He and a friend were blocking Naruto's path, by the looks of them they were nothing more than lowlife bandits looking to score on any sole traveller that passed them by. "It looks like those things you are carrying are weighing you down, why don't you let us do you a good deed and lighten that load for you, huh?"

Naruto, who had come to a stop, looked at the two bandits with raised brows. The first one, the one who called out to him, bore a thick moustache and loose hair that almost obscured his eyes. And in spite of the weather, he was dressed in thick, ragged clothes like some sort of rural rat. The same impression was made of his shaven head friend, who sported a thin scar on either side of his lips that suggested someone had punched him in the face while he'd been drinking. As a result, he had a permanent smile that was in no way befitting of his sour expression. _"What a pain… take care of these guys will ya?"_ Eko asked, with a clearly annoyed tone.

The two bandits reached behind them and pulled out short daggers, the blades of which were dull and dirty. Both of them wore malicious looks as they slowly approached Naruto, ideas of eating well clearly on their minds. "Don't think you're gonna scare us with that big toy on your back!" the second bandit announced, twirling his blade in his hand as if he were the one playing around. "Who do you think you're fooling, with something that big?"

They hadn't gone very far though, before they both came to a stop with confused looks on their faces. A smile had appeared on Naruto's face, his brow creasing in a rather creepy manner. "Ok then… come on." he said, in a light hearted tone that was almost like how a father would beckon his child. The two bandits seemed hesitant to Naruto's invitation however, but held their ground uncertainly. Naruto saw this and decided to try and convince them, holding his arms out in a welcoming manner as his smile widened further. "…Come on!"

The second bandit, who was clearly not as brave as his expression would have others believe, reached out and touched his comrade's shoulder. The first bandit looked to his ally with a frown, he at least had _some_ more stones than that. "Hey… let's get outta here." the second bandit said, his brow twitching anxiously at the scary aura he felt coming from Naruto. "Look at him, he doesn't even have much on him! Let's just leave this creepy bastard alone ok?"

Not liking the sound of that, Naruto took a step forward. He looked a little upset at the bandit's reaction, and realised he would need to try harder to get them to come at him. "Aw don't say that!" he called, causing the two men to jump in shock. It was almost funny how suddenly the tables had turned, the bandits feeling like _they_ were the ones being approached by a dangerous person. "Let's do this, you keep your knives, I'll just use my hands ok? Or do you want me to keep them behind my back?"

As if to prove his willingness, Naruto slipped his hands behind him and grinned broadly at the two bandits. He waited for them, listening for the sounds of their footsteps. But what he heard was not them coming closer, and as he opened his eyes, he found they were definitely _not_ getting any nearer. "Hey come on!" he cried, as he started running after the fleeing cowards. Both of them had discarded their daggers and were pounding through the trees, crying out as they realised they were being pursued. "It's not like I'll kill ya!"

"Stay away from us!"

"Don't be like that!"

"… _I take back what I said… you _do_ act like you got a monster in you."_

* * *

An hour passed by, and Naruto didn't feel the slightest bit cooler. After a while he had decided to give up on chasing those bandits, since it seemed unlikely they were going to attack. That had left him in a rather disappointed mood, coupled with the fact that when he stopped he had lost all sense of direction. When he had finally found his way back to the road, he found himself stepping into more than just a path.

Down at the bottom of a steady hill, there lay a village that Naruto couldn't help but faintly recognise. However much he tried though, nothing came to mind. He began to descend the hill with tired eyes, quietly wondering why he remembered this place. But then he reasoned that he had seen many places travelling with Kisame and Gaara, so it wasn't unfathomable that he would wind up somewhere he'd been before, or that looked like somewhere he had visited.

The village below seemed to be the definition of pastoral living. The houses looked like relics, more like cottages and huts than anything else. There was definitely a rustic feel about the place that was accented by the people living in it. Farmers, most of them, and other such people who lived off the land. They were all dressed in tunics and other such loose clothing that did well to keep one cool in a day. The children however seemed to think nothing of the weather, so content they were with their games.

"_Pretty peaceful place huh?"_ Naruto thought, looking around the village with half closed eyes. From the nervous looks the villagers were giving him, and how the children came to a stop to stare at him and his giant sword, he could tell his presence here was being a bother to them. He couldn't help feeling the desire to just hurry and move on, he was sure he wouldn't miss these guys either. _"Just as intolerant of strange people with giant swords as any other though."_

He smirked as he heard Eko's faint chuckle, the giant sword was about the only one who would laugh at anything Naruto said or did. Though those laughs admittedly had higher chance of coming if Naruto hadn't intended to do anything funny in the first place. Not for the first time the blond boy felt random animosity for the blade, who had always delighted in the punishments Kisame had dealt out to a certain stupid boy.

His thoughts were interrupted though as he came to an unexpected stop. In front of him, just a few metres away, a young girl of maybe seven or eight years old had come to a stop, staring up at Naruto with large, round brown eyes. Naruto stared back at the girl with the long raven hair, wondering just what it was about him that made her stop in her tracks. The girl turned to face him with a curious expression, cocking her head as she watched his face. She then closed one eye, her tongue slipping out of her lips as she studied Naruto closely.

"_What's with this girl?"_ Naruto thought, as the young girl took a step towards him. Other people were beginning to stop as well, looking at the pair with questioning faces. The girl seemed oblivious to it though, and instead only moved closer to Naruto. Growing curious himself, Naruto crouched down on the ground to look back at the little girl. Soon they were almost face to face, both wearing the same blank look as each other. But then the girl's eyes wandered, and Naruto came to realise something. It wasn't _him_ she was staring at, but the markings on his face. "Oh, you think I look kinda like a kitty, don't ya?" he asked, giving a friendly smile.

The girl blinked in surprise as Naruto spoke to her, her brow arching and her already round eyes widening. "A… kitty?" she repeated, with a slightly dazed look about her face. But then something inside her seemed to snap, she looked for a moment to be in a state of shock. It was Naruto whoever who was shocked, as the girl's moment passed and was overtaken by some peculiar urge that the blond boy could never have anticipated. "ONIISAMA!" the girl cried, lunging suddenly at Naruto and throwing his arms around him gleefully.

"Wha-WHA?" Naruto exclaimed, as he fell back from the weight the young girl threw onto him. He hit the ground hard, with Eko cursing in annoyance while the girl giggled gleefully. Whatever joy she was feeling was clearly one sided, though at least the villagers around relaxed under the impression that Naruto was familiar to the girl. That at least got _them_ moving, but Naruto was pretty much stuck where he was at the moment. "Oniisama?"

"Aiko!"

The young girl, Aiko presumably, gasped in shock as she was lifted by the scruff of her floral blue and pink kimono and into the air. Naruto slipped up to a half seated position as he looked up at the person currently scolding the girl. "I'm sorry about her, are you-" the woman standing in front of Naruto began, before coming to a pause. Like little Aiko, she too gave him a hard stare, though she was frowning through a pair of thick red brows. In this case however, she was hardly alone.

Naruto stared up with the same expression, looking over her long red hair and sharp blue eyes. He couldn't shake this dominating feeling that came from that woman, like a watchful wolf or something. This woman was dressed in a tea green tunic and carried what looked like a sack of rice under her arm. However, that rice sack hit the ground as her stair suddenly became bewildered. At the same time, she and Naruto's hands flew around, pointing at the other accusingly as they cried out. "YOU!"

And in that moment, attention was once again back upon Naruto, with this woman now included. It seemed the relaxed feeling they'd had from seeing Aiko accept Naruto had gone as soon as it had come. The only person who was oblivious to the tension in the air was little Aiko, who hung by the cloth around her waist with a big smile on her face. "Okaasan!" she called out, pointing her own hand down at Naruto quite happily. "It's Naruto-oniisama!"

The girl was ignored however, since the looks between the two "grownups" seemed more important. One of the villagers, a fisherman judging by the pole he carried, came over with a tough expression as he watched Naruto through a pair of eyes that looked like they were closed tight. "This guy giving you trouble Naomi-san?" he asked, giving Naruto a look of warning that was ignored by the person receiving it. "Need me to get rid of him?"

Naomi, apparently, blinked in surprise, looking to the fisherman beside her. She took a moment to give a reply, even as she shook her head she still seemed to be frowning. "No… it's fine Taiki-san." she said, as she put Aiko back on the ground. In moments the little girl was kneeling beside Naruto, beaming down at him with a cute face. Naomi quickly collected herself and reached down, grabbing Naruto by the arm and helping him to his feet. "This is Uzumaki Naruto, he's an… old friend."

Naruto, who was still in shock at the unexpected reunion, was left bewildered to what was going on around him. The fisherman Taiki however seemed dissatisfied with what he heard. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully while he studied Naruto, before his brow rose in astonishment. "Could it be… Naruto of the Sea?" he exclaimed, suddenly moving in to grab Naruto by the shoulder. Though Naruto started in shock, the fisherman had a strong grip that kept him from backing off. With his other hand, Taiki quickly drew imaginary images on Naruto, before suddenly letting out a broad grin. "It is! It's Naruto of the Sea!"

Naruto then got a strange feeling as he began hearing what sounded like excited whispers all around. Wherever he looked, people were staring back at him with wide eyes. _"Wait a minute… isn't this place?"_ he thought, as he was hit with a sudden revelation. This was the village he and Kisame had travelled through years ago, the place where he had first met the boy known as Haku. He recalled the blazing fires that had struck this place, and how he had stormed through with Eko in hand to save the villagers as best he could.

Before he knew it, he seemed to have developed a following of sorts. The children who had been playing around heard Taiki's announcement and in no time had surrounded Naruto with awestruck looks. "Naruto the hero?" they asked, clearly enthralled by what they heard. Naruto looked around them all, and their eyes widened as much as their smiles did. Yet for some reason, he couldn't help feeling uneasy from all of this attention he was receiving. "The guy who fought off twenty monsters?"

Naruto looked around himself uneasily, trying to keep the situation calm with a nervous laugh. That seemed to have the wrong affect though, judging by the sudden sparkles appearing in the children's eyes. But before anything noisy could happen, he once more felt a hand grip his shoulder tight. Looking back, he realised it was Naomi who had a hold of him, a strangely reluctant look on her face. "Let's go." she said, as she scooped up her dropped rice sack and began to head away. Naruto looked between her and his tiny crowd, already deciding which option he preferred.

"Come on oniisama!"

Aiko's small hand grabbed onto his as Naruto was pulled from the street and after Naomi. "Uh… yeah." he said weakly, as he walked hand in hand with the little girl. This sudden departure seemed unacceptable though, as the gathering of children followed after them. _"Man… what the hell is going on?" _he thought, personally cursing his so far foul luck. He wasn't exactly the sort who took delight in having an entourage of people who didn't even reach his waist. _"I shoulda stuck with Gaara!"_

* * *

Seagulls flew overhead, squawking their tunes ignorantly as they soared across the sky. The heat hadn't let up for a moment, but thankfully Naruto was no longer caught out in the sun. Naomi and Aiko had taken him to the place that was presumably their home, a small hut with an awning that stretched out to provide some much needed shade. It was here that Naruto sat on a folding chair, with Eko resting beside him as they watched the children playing around.

Naruto, who was still trying to work out why the children were acting out strange adventures that he had apparently gone on in his strangely exciting life. Of course, he wasn't dumb enough to say he had a normal life, but he was pretty sure he had never fought a group of dragons atop the tallest mountain in Kaminari no Kuni. If he had, he would probably remember. "So uh… you gonna fill me in on the details?" he asked, looking to his left.

Naomi, who was also seated, glanced at Naruto with a faint look of embarrassment about her. It was strange that even in that case, she still managed to seem angry. "I guess I won't leave you hanging." she said, her words spiting their meaning. She sat back with her arms stretched out on either side of her chair, looking more relaxed than Naruto felt at that time. She looked at Naruto through a single open eye, her expression unassuming even if her words weren't. "Once you disappeared, Aiko was a little upset. So to calm her down, I started telling her stories, using you as the main character."

Naruto and Eko now had their full attentions on Naomi, neither of them reacting positively or negatively. Naruto stared at Naomi with squinting eyes, his head dropping a couple of inches as what the fiery haired woman was saying got through to him. "…Eh?" he murmured, clearly showing his attempt had failed. Naomi realised this and let out an annoyed sigh, closing her other eye as her brow creased in an indicative manner.

"She was always asking me "what do you think oniisan is doing?" and "Is oniisan a hero?"." she explained, with an obvious air of discontentment around her that Naruto could hardly blame. She probably wasn't too keen on a student of Kisame being so revered in her daughter's eyes. "So while the two of us were moving from place to place _thanks to a certain someone_, I'd make up adventures and stuff to calm her curiosity.

"Trouble is, during our jumping from place to place we stumbled across this village, which was in the middle of repairing from some serious damage. As it turned out, they had their own story about a certain blond boy who had quickly become something of a legend." she continued, before giving Naruto a sideward look that held a thin smirk of understanding. "Apparently he drove off some evil Shinobi who tried to burn the village to the ground, and doused the flames with a wave that disrupted the flow of the waters and brought fish back to these parts. And so came the myth of "Naruto of the Sea", friend to those in need! Of course, Aiko started telling on the stories I told her and… well… let's just say you've got a very strong presence in this village."

She listened out for the words of exclamation she was expecting to hear, or the sounds of Naruto getting excited by her explanation. But she opened her eyes in surprise as what she heard again, was faint laughter. "Heh heh heh… that's kind of embarrassing." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head with a weak smile on his face. Naomi couldn't help but smile herself at this; it seemed Naruto had grown up more than she had thought.

"Hey, Naruto oniisama!" little Aiko called, as she ran over to her mother and alleged elder brother. With her came all of the children she'd been playing with, and soon they had all gathered on the ground before their blond "hero". That so called hero was left looking amongst them bewilderedly, wondering what on earth had gotten them so excited. "Tell us about the things you've been doing!"

Naruto blinked in surprise at the strange request; he had never really fancied himself as a story teller. But with what Naomi had told him, and the expectant looks on the children's faces, he knew he would have a hell of a time refusing them. So for the sake of appearances, and the children themselves, Naruto put on a broad grin and rose to his feet, planting his foot on a nearby stool to make himself seem more impressive. "Alright then, guess I can't refuse Aiko-chan!" he announced, causing the children to cheer in glee. "You wanna hear about the time I took on and defeated the vile demon Yagura?"

"YEAH!"

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto cried, pumping his fist to get himself going. He took in a deep, powerful breath as he prepared to get himself into the atmosphere. It was surprisingly successful, as his head rose his expression turned to something quite stern. He took several steps forward, the children shuffling out of his way, as he moved into their midst. All the young ones watched him with wide eyes, waiting for what he was going to say. "…You see that?"

Naomi, who had also risen to her feet, gave a grave nod as she stepped beside him. The children became confused by this exchange; it certainly didn't _sound _like they were being told a story. They all turned their heads to the same place as Naruto and Naomi, looking to see what it was that had captured their performer's attention. Soon they all rose to their feet, their eyes widening as they looked to the hill at the edge of the village. Up there, many figures were approaching, and they didn't exactly look like they were here for the fish.

Naruto, with his well trained eyes, managed to scan the group up ahead with greater ability than the children around him. He managed to pick out two very familiar forms, the bandits who had tried to mug him this morning. Naomi too saw this, and looked to Naruto with a stony expression. "Looks like you dragged trouble our way again." she said, before giving a confident smile. "Why don't you show these kids how much of the legends are true?"

Naruto glanced at her from the corner of his eye, noticing the pleading looks the children were giving him. With this much attention, he couldn't help giving a confident smirk. "Sure… alright." he said, as he turned around and headed towards the Ekokaeten. He could hear the excited gasps behind him, those sounds fuelling his ego considerably. He grabbed hold of his blade and slung it over his shoulders, before turning on the spot and flashing his determined look to his audience. "Time to wipe these guys out!"

_

* * *

_

Once upon a time, at the foot of a great mountain, there lived a town of simple people. These people lived out a peaceful existence, farming the land without wasting anything. There was no one these people would harm, and no one who would do harm to them. Their lives were free and calm, without the slightest threat to them or their land. This was the way it had been for generations, and how they had hoped it would be forever.

_But course, that wasn't to last. On the hottest day of the brightest spring, the town was struck by a so far unprecedented storm. Rain fell upon the town, and lightning struck the houses and ignited them. From the midst of this storm, there came a beast that descended from the great mountain. It was a tiger, fierce and strong. That tiger, who was surely the one behind the storm, let out a thunderous roar that shook the town from its very foundations, demanding that it be fed._

_The people despaired. They were left no choice but to give their daughters to the beast, in exchange for their own lives. What had once been a happy town soon became sorrowful and decrepit, a mere shadow of its former self. But the tiger was ever hungry, demanding more and more be sacrificed to feed its insatiable thirst. The town's numbers were dwindling and if nothing was done, soon they would all perish by the tiger's hunger._

_But just as hope was about to be lost to them, a figure approached from the dawn. It was a man, whose golden hair shone in the sun, and donning a red cloak that caught the eye of the dying town. The people begged and pleaded for their salvation, praying that this stranger would save them from the evil creature of the mountain. Without a moment's hesitation, the stranger agreed, setting off to meet with the beast that plagued this once gentle place._

_They met, as the sun touched the peak of the great mountain. The tiger came down for its feast, but was met instead with the hero of the people. The beast bellowed its fury, calling forth a storm that once more ravaged the town. But the hero would allow the beast to torment no one any longer, and so drew his blade before taking it to his monstrous foe. The tiger met him mid way, and so began a battle that would be spoken of for generations._

_As the sun fell beneath the mountain, so did the beast fall to the hero's sword. The village rejoiced in the death of the monster, they were free at last! The only one not sharing the celebrations was the hero, who crouched down by the body of the tiger and whispered unto it a prayer for forgiveness. Then, without seeking any sort of reward, the hero departed into the night, the hero with the whiskered face. And so the village spoke of him, speaking his name into their prayers from that day forth. They prayed, for Uzumaki Naruto._


	50. Human nature has its way with lust

Gotta say, I have NO clue where this chapter came from. I wasn't sure how it would end, but I'm sort of glad it went the way it did. Around midway, I got this game called Alan Wake. It gave me a bit of an epiphany about writing, so you may notice a change in style. I quite like it, so let me know if you notice, and if you do, what you think of it. It's not very often I take an active step to improve, mostly I rely on growing experience.

Disclaimer: Not too long before part 3 shows up, so like last time, be prepared to look at my page when part 2 is complete.

* * *

**Human nature has its way with lust**

Naruto stood with the Ekokaeten resting against his shoulders, feelings of excitement rising in his gut. Up ahead there was a gang of bandits, led by the ones who had troubled him earlier, most probably seeking to take him and by extension the village down. He was hardly going to let something like that happen of course, but his goal wasn't entirely pure. "Time to wipe these guys out!" he announced, causing the children to cheer in excitement. Without further ado, he began to step forward to get to the task he had now promised. But to his surprise, he was stopped by Naomi's sudden hand.

"No…" she said, giving him a frown that actually seemed to have some meaning behind it. She looked into Naruto's eyes with cold uncertainty, searching for something that Naruto didn't know. After a few moments, she dropped her hand, before stepping ahead of Naruto. The children had all grown quiet from the tension that had once again returned. None of them understood quite what was going on. "You stay back… _I'll_ deal with this."

Naruto stared after Naomi, trying to see what it was she was telling him. Hadn't she just asked him to take care of those bandits? So why now was she telling him not to? It didn't make the least bit sense to him, but if that was the way she wanted it, he wasn't going to argue. "Alright then… guess I'll watch your back." he replied, as he began following her away from her home. Naomi glanced over her shoulder, before nodding to him and proceeding.

As soon as they had left the children, the two of them took off at top speed. Naomi was fast, fast enough that Naruto had to put a little effort in to keep up with her. He guessed that was to be expected though, of someone who had earned a name such as "Naomi of the blazing sky". He had to admit that he was interested in seeing what someone with such a title was capable of, hence his compliance with standing back. The two of them ran through the streets with the villagers eyes upon them, the bandits were quickly making their presence known. Excited whispers of both their names, Naruto and Naomi, could be heard in passing. It looked like a lot of hype was being built up; their energy was quickly passing on to Naruto.

It was a small village, and as such it took little time to reach its outskirts. Soon the former ninja and the swordsman were standing at the base of the hill, looking up at the bandits that awaited them. "That's him, that's the guy ho tried to kill us!" cried the one who had jumped Naruto earlier that morning. He pointed to the blond boy while looking up at a man riding on horseback, the leader presumably. Naruto couldn't help feeling amusement; where Naomi had the aura of a wolf, this guy certainly had the apparel. He wasn't sure that fur skin clothing was ideal for this weather, but it was all the same to him.

The leader however, seemed quite despondent about the sight before him. He made a full turn to his right, allowing him to see his cowardly subordinate with his good, patch-less eye. "You were running from this _boy_?" he demanded, in a gruff voice most likely aided by the claw shaped scars across his throat. Now that Naruto looked at it, the shaggy grey hair and yellow iris also aided in this guy's wolfishness. "You worthless dregs'll be strung up for wasting my time!"

"HEY!" Naomi yelled, calling up to the leader with the same glare she would give to any stranger. She placed her hands on her hips and let the enemy taste some of her murderous intent; she was far from glad to see these guys. "I don't know what it is you're looking for, but you're not gonna find it in a place like this! Get out, before I take that horse and cram it up your ass!"

The leader's brow twitched in annoyance at Naomi's command. It was obvious he was not the sort to take orders from others, much preferring to give them blindly. He drew from his belt a long, curved sword that seemed old and worn, much like he himself did. "You think I'll just forgive you talking to me like that?" he yelled, his harsh voice barely distinguishable with his tone. "Even if you're just some woman from a worthless village, I'll cut your throat and feed your blood to the people you're looking out for!"

Those fierce words had an invigorating effect on his men, who each began to give a boorish war cry as they drew their own dull weapons. At the signal of their leader, they all began a downhill charge towards the village, their own cries fuelling their sheer arrogance. Naomi, casting a look of warning to Naruto, took on a defensive stance as she prepared to face the bandits with her own strength. Naruto did as she asked and stayed back, but he held Eko at the ready just in case.

"OOOORAAAH!"

But the bandits' cries fell on deaf ears as Naomi's hands came together, flying through seals so fast that her digits seemed almost like paper in the wind. When she had finished her procedure, she clasped her hands together in the tiger seal, drawing in a deep breath. "Katon: Nekomata no Jutsu!" she called, before turning on the spot. As she did this, she released an exhale while gradually lowering her posture. Flames flickered from her lips and hovered in the air, forming what looked like a strange sort of two tailed feline. It was a long and thin cat which stood with its tails wrapped around Naomi, who returned to a position that seemed almost like that of a dancer. The fiery cat let out a hiss that brought the bandits to stop, before it disappeared from sight.

"_Whoa… that's a pretty crazy Jutsu!" _Naruto thought, as his eyes easily followed the cat's movements. Naomi was directing it with her hand, sending it to the far right of the bandits. Then with an arcing motion, the feline leapt high into the air with a snarl that shook the men beneath it. Fireballs dropped from its body, striking the ground and singing it with small explosions. The bandits cried out in terror of this monstrous cat, looking back to their leader for guidance.

"Do your best men!" their leader called, he and his horse already taking their hasty leave. Realising they had been abandoned, the bandits quickly scurried away too, the horrifying cat pressing their cowardice to their limits. Not one of them looked back in fear of being hounded by the nekomata, even though the flaming cat had already faded away from scattering its fireballs over the ground.

Naomi however seemed to have no intention of just letting them flee however. With a quick glance to send her meaning to Naruto, the two of them bolted up the hill and after the bandits. Naruto of course made no complaints about it, his hand gripping Eko from behind him while he wore the grin of a man ready to fight an army to the death. _"Think you could be a little _less_ excited?" _Eko asked, though he was mainly just screwing with Naruto. The blond boy let out a faint chuckle from those words, gradually catching up with Naomi who had gestured for him to draw nearer. Within moments he was running right beside Naomi, ready to hear whatever it was she had to say.

_CRACK!_

It took him a moment to notice it, the pain he felt in his jaw. More preoccupied was he in the fact that the woods seemed to be moving of their own accord. It wasn't until his shoulder struck a tree that he realised he had been hit by Naomi. "GAH!" he cried, as electricity shot through his shoulder and threatened to remove him of his agonising extremity. He slid down onto his feet, clutching his wounded arm as he glared at Naomi through wincing eyes. "What the hell are you-"

He stopped suddenly however, his face blanching at the evil look on Naomi's face. The killing intent he felt from her was unique, unlike anything Kisame had ever sent his way. The reason was that there was no secret enjoyment in this, just anger of a near unfathomable scale. "What the hell are _you_ doing?" she demanded, redirecting Naruto's question back at him. She took a threatening step forward, flames almost burning from her own rage as she glowered at him. "Grabbing your sword like that, you were gonna have the children watch you slaughter those guys?"

Naruto straightened himself up, gripping his blade in his hands despite his aching shoulder. He gave Naomi and equally angered look, overcoming his initial shock and replacing it with steadfastness. "What, first you ask me to help you out then you get pissed cos of how I do things?" he countered, his words by no means weaker than Naomi's. He took a step forward himself, showing how prepared he was to fight. "Those guys were no problem for you, so why ask me to do it instead?"

He reacted on instinct, raising Eko high into the air. It was a good move, for Naomi's straight hand would have struck him hard otherwise. However as she landed on the ground, she didn't jump back to avoid the blade. Instead, she did what Naruto wasn't expecting and grabbed him by his haori, pushing his back against the tree. "Because a long time ago you did something I thought no one affiliated with Kisame could do!" she exclaimed, not afraid to move her face close to Naruto's. "You put your life on the line for Aiko, so forgive me if I thought you were a man!"

She held her grip and her stare for several long seconds, before clicking her tongue in annoyance. As she let go of Naruto and turned away, the blond boy fell to his knees, still staring back at her. The look on his face told of someone who was remembering things he had otherwise forgotten. With a grunt of his own, he hung his head low and leered at the ground beneath him. "… Hit me." he said, waiting for the noise if surprise he was sure would come.

_CRACK!_

"OW!" Naruto yelled, clutching his head in pain as he fell to the ground. With a bewildered look on his face he looked up at Naomi, stars circling around his eyes as the red haired woman seemed to multiply without use of chakra. "The hell?" he demanded, rubbing his pounding head in a ditch effort to sooth it. "You won't even wait to hear me out first?"

Naomi, who stood in a half turned position, looked down at Naruto with unsympathetic eyes. "What can I say?" she asked, holding up the offending hand, which was still curled up into a tight fist. Clearly she felt no remorse for her violent action, even as Naruto gave her that look of total betrayal. "I guess I just really, _really_ wanted to hit you."

She watched as Naruto continued to curse under his breath, muttering words she was pretty sure didn't portray her in a positive light. Still, she already knew where Naruto had been planning on going with his words; he really was a predictable person. So to make amends for her sudden attack, she reached out and helped him to his feet. "Come on then… let's hear it." she said, taking a step back and placing her hands on her hips. "I'm sure you've already thought up some speech or something. You think it'll raise my opinion of you; go for it."

Naruto, who had accepted her help, looked up at her with a single wincing eye. At least when Kisame hit him, he had the decency to hit hard enough to knock Naruto unconscious. What annoyed him more was the expectant look he was then given, as if the events of the past minute had been long forgotten. "… It's not cool to be violent in front of children." he said, trying his best to show that he meant those words.

Naomi stared at him, her brow raised while her eyes were still half closed. Several long seconds passed as the two stared at each other, before Naomi came to realise something. "… That's it?" she asked, looking at Naruto blankly. The blond boy returned the look in the same way, except his had a more stupid feel to it. Naomi grumbled something half hearted to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. But then she looked at Naruto with an expression that told him he should listen well. "Look, you're a Shinobi whether you belong to a village or not. The way you act only tells your opponent everything about you. In battle or not, it's up to you to learn more about your opponent than they can learn about you.

"I can't say I'm surprised you don't know this, considering Kisame taught you." she said, closing her eyes as she folded her arms. Even though she said such a thing, the speed at which she had assumed an authoritative role was astounding. "Listen, I'm not a good instructor. But I know that when it comes to Shinobi, he who strikes first loses. Use your head, not your sword. You understand me?"

She awaited an answer, thinking to herself that there was no simpler way she could have rephrase what she said. Her impatience caught her, and she opened her eyes. She wasn't all that surprised by the stupefied look on Naruto's face, but she was definitely annoyed by it. _"Even for Kisame's student… this guy really is an idiot."_ she thought, before giving a discontented sigh that conveyed her feelings to great effect. Then she looked over to Naruto with one open eye, a trait that apparently she and her daughter used often. "Why did you come out here?" she asked, realising that she was still to find that out.

To Naruto this was becoming a situation he found difficult to follow. Naomi was calming too quickly, was she really so temperamental? Still, considering the lecture he had just been given his drive to fight was at a low. He straightened up and slipped Eko onto his back, rubbing his still aching shoulder as he thought about what he would say. "I guess I'm looking for some answers." he replied, the tough look he had grown accustomed to wearing disappearing as he finally put words to the things circling his normally shallow mind. "There's a place I have to go to, it used to be called Uzu no Kuni. It's for training, and other things too."

He was met with a studious gaze; Naomi clearly could read him like a book. For some reason, he didn't really mind that at all. Naomi on the other hand had some misgivings; she was clearly no fan of mysteries. "Sounds like it's something that's really on your mind." she said, in a quiet and forgiving tone. She considered both Naruto and herself for a moment, before jerking her head back to the way they had already come. "Come on; let's see if we can find someone who can help you out."

Even though at this stage he was willing to accept help from just about anyone, Naruto hesitated with a look of uncertainty. His usual brash nature had been traded as he became self aware, knowing that he had troubled Naomi with his brutish actions. He thought to say something along this idea, but Naomi was already making her way towards the hill that led down to the village. He understood enough that it would take a lot of effort to get this woman to change her mind, so in the end he decided it would be best to follow after her. And who knows? Maybe in doing so, her words would become a little bit clearer.

* * *

The village really was a small place. Everyone who lived there knew of everyone else, so Naomi had hardly gone to much trouble when it came to finding someone who could help them out. Within a half hour both her and Naruto were standing in what could only be described as an old shack, one that apparently belonged to the only person who could help them.

From the doorway in front of them stepped in a pirate of a man. He was dressed in a worn overcoat and wore heavy rubber boots underneath them. He looked at his two visitors over a pair of dirty spectacles, grinning through his white beard as he scratched his equally pale and unkempt hair. "Uzu no Kuni was it?" he asked, as he took from under his arm a roll of parchment that looked like it was even older than he was. With one hand he spread it open on the grimy countertop that stood between him and his guests, before the three of them stooped over to look at it under the dim lantern light. "Well the name doesn't exist any more, but it still applies. The place is dangerous if you don't know the right routes. Any ideas as to which island you're heading for?"

The attention was of course turned to Naruto, the only possible person who could answer such a question. But the problem with that was that this was the first time Naruto had ever seen a sea chart, never mind a map of the old country. He scanned the cluster of islands with a serious expression, before relenting to Eko's words. With a wavering hand, his finger hovered over the islands for several long seconds, following the blade's instructions until finally he hit the correct mark. "It's this one." he said, not taking his eyes from the chart for a second. Even though he looked certain, his thoughts were running faster than his mind could allow. This was it, the place where he would find out who he was. He couldn't call himself excited, but he couldn't say nervous either. He was on a bridge between the two, and the wind was blowing dangerously.

The sea captain, Takaito as he was known, moved in close to the place Naruto pointed at. He ran his fingers thoughtfully through hid beard, though in truth he was only stalling for time. He looked up at Naruto with a grin that knew no worries or complications, something perhaps unbecoming of a sailor. "Well that's good fortune my boy!" he announced, his glee almost showing self pride he had no place in owning. "As it just so happens, that island has a fairly safe and straightforward path. It was used as a trading island, so we should have no trouble getting there!"

And with that the matter was suddenly settled. Even though Naomi had intended only to get advice from Takaito, the old man's knowledge and enthusiasm made him seem like the best man for the job. Before Naruto knew it, he was handing over a deposit for the voyage, one that would apparently be leaving as soon as preparations were made. They were quickly shooed out of the shack, where even Naomi had to admit a bemused smile onto her lips.

"And here I thought I knew every strange guy in this place." she said, more to herself than Naruto. It was true that Takaito seemed eccentric, but from the rumours that often circulated about sailors, to find one that was merely eccentric was a godsend. So of course, they were in no hurry to look this gift horse in the mouth. For one thing, they were both pretty sure that this Takaito had suffered from scurvy at least once or twice in his life.

But now with nothing left on the agenda other than to wait, Naruto had little idea what it was he could be doing. He felt like a wildflower in a garden. This village was no sort of place for a guy like him, despite what the villagers thought. He turned on the spot, before noticing that Naomi was looking at him with a blank expression. "What?" he asked, his fingers intertwining behind his neck as he returned the look to Naomi.

"There's something I can't quite work out about you." Naomi replied, speaking rather openly for someone usually so closed off. She turned to face Naruto full on, slipping her thumbs into the leather belt of her tunic as she watched Naruto with the interest of someone who noticed a wildflower in their garden. "You act so tough that you even fool yourself. But no matter how you look at it, you seem pretty shy for someone who can lift a blade to a group of criminals."

He couldn't help being confused by those words. Even though she said no matter how he looked at it, all he came up with were blanks. Was she making fun of him, calling his fighting spirit an act? And on that point, of all the things he had been called, "shy" was a pretty new one to him. "Huh?" he asked, his words not quite as eloquent as his thoughts. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel that that was a prime example of what Naomi was trying to tell him.

Her smile confirmed that, the cockiness that told him her point had just been proven, but also that she was glad of it. Without losing face or cool for the slightest moment, she took a step forward and reached up with her hand, lightly tousling Naruto's hair with that same smile on her lips. "I guess I have to apologise." she said, while Naruto stared at her with a stunned look. "Earlier I thought you were like an animal, but that's not true right? You really are just a boy after all."

Those kind words were unfair, that was all Naruto could think. They cut through him, but in a painless manner. He couldn't come up with a single response to that, nothing that could cool his burning face. Naomi then dealt him another vicious blow; her smile widened and her expression grew kinder. "Man… why don't you just kick me instead?" he muttered, bowing his head so his fringe hid his eyes. He realised too late that he'd spoken those words, words he had intended to remain silent. Now he did everything in his power not to look up. The thought of Naomi being any nicer to him almost made him want to hit _himself_. Anything that would give understandable reason to the blood pounding through his veins.

But of course, Naomi would be cruel enough to find a way. She laughed lightly at his request, dropping her hand from his head. She was sure she'd embarrassed him enough, and thought she'd give him the chance to cool down. "I've got some errands to run, but don't be in any hurry to leave." she said, as she turned away from him. She looked over her shoulder at him, making sure he didn't do anything stupid like run off. "I think Aiko would like to get the chance to see you off this time."

Naruto, who could come up with no possible response to that, just gave a nod in reply. Naomi took that as good enough and took her leave, so that he could have some time to gather his thoughts. But even after she was gone, Naruto stood in that same position, waiting for the one thing he knew would come. _"Aah Naru-chan… you're so cute!"_ Eko teased, before breaking out into a fit of laughter that _really_ made Naruto's blood boil. But the blond was grateful to the blade; he suddenly got the urge to do some wood copping with an oversized axe. Eko would absolutely _hate_ that.

* * *

The wind was crisp, down there at the harbour. Though the village wasn't quite by the sea, the land from thereon out was fairly even. The sea breeze still managed to find its way over here, even if it was nullified by the heat. It was down here that Naruto waited, reluctantly deciding to meet with Naomi and Aiko like the older woman had requested. At least in this situation he was granted the peace of silence. For some rather… _mysterious_ reason, Eko wasn't talking to him.

Behind him was a small but grand yacht, something he had never expected to find in an out of the way village like this. Well, grand was a good word for it, but old worked as well. It had a fine oak structure to it, greyed linen sails and a beige base, simple looking at first but easily strong enough to carry maybe three people across the seas. At least, that was what Naruto was hoping for. He had no idea what to expect of a voyage like this. Even when he travelled to Kirigakure, he did it through small boats between each island along the way.

"Ready when you are hero boy!" Takaito called, waving from the deck of his pride and joy. He was a seaman til the end, always looking to make his way back out into that grand blue canvas where the water and sky were almost one in the same. Of course for a man used to being out to sea, patience wasn't his strongest point. "Whatever you're waiting for, it can wait for ye to get back right?"

His words were irrelevant, the waiting was now over. Aiko could be seen at the end of her street, pulling her mother by the hand as she ran towards the harbour. Seeing Naomi running like that made Naruto smile; he could almost forget that this woman was a lot faster than this. But of course, seeing her again brought back the embarrassment from before. He made his best attempt to calm himself, keeping cool as the mother and daughter reached him.

"Oniisama, what about that story?" Aiko asked, her smile disappearing immediately as she pouted at Naruto. For a girl who seemed so chipper, right now she was clearly in a mood with her self proclaimed sibling. But even Naruto could tell she would forgive him, that glimmer in her eyes wouldn't disappear no matter what face she put on. Sure enough, as Naruto placed his hand on her head, she broke out into a smile again. "Come back soon ok?"

Her laugh followed his, warming her innocent heart. She was still a child after all, and knew nothing of Naruto's thoughts or intentions. But as Naruto's hand slipped on her head, she looked up at him with blank surprise. Was it her, or did he seem uneasy? "Make sure you don't cause any trouble over there." her mother said, Aiko looking up as Naomi slipped her hands onto her daughter's shoulders. "It doesn't sound like that place is too used to visitors. And you're kinda loud."

For a moment, Naruto's self control failed him. There was a faint tint to his face as he grinned, nervously rubbing the back of his head like a child caught in the act. Once he regained himself though, he looked at Naomi with a relaxed face. "Hey… uh…" he began, unsure himself of what it was he wanted to say. "I still don't really understand what you were talking about before."

Naomi wasn't really surprised by this. She looked over Naruto's face, watching as the warm sun lit up his underlying expression. She knew he was still feeling unsettled, and so was probably looking for a quick departure. "But I'm gonna think about it, see if I can figure it out for myself." he added, with the kind of nervous laughter that proved Naomi's little theory. She lifted her hand from her daughter and lightly punched Naruto on the arm, something he was probably more familiar with than words.

"You do that, Naruto-kun."

She smiled again at his face, the lifted eyebrows and wide eyes. His sudden shyness came about in his unusual manner; he cried out and grabbed his hair. Then he quickly turned around and vaulted onto the boat, knowing all shreds of the cool he had tried to build had been taking down by that cruel woman. Takaito wasted no time in getting things moving, and soon the sound of an engine could be heard. Naruto sat on the edge of the boat with his back to Naomi and Aiko, doing his best to calm himself. As the boat began moving, he looked over his shoulder and grinned. Raising his hand in a two fingered salute, his face told the promise he couldn't find the words to explain. He'd be back, as soon as he could.

"See ya."


	51. Each wave a promise, a new hope reborn

I can't believe how long I've been thinking about this arc, without deciding what to put in it. It's this kinda carefree attitude that causes those downward spirals. Well, I've got it in check so it should be fine. That new style I mentioned should be pretty prominent here now that I've warmed up. And just a little piece of side info; I'm practicing a certain element which may or may not show up in this story at some point. At least some of you know what that means.

Disclaimer: Well, lets see what the explanation is the manga release tonight? Wish I could say I'm excited, but that last reveal was actually of little surprise.

* * *

**Each wave a promise, a new hope reborn**

The smell of salt carried through the air, drifting aimlessly with the cool wind. The blue sky was merely a backdrop for the transient clouds that drifted across its steady canvas. There were no sounds of life, no birds in the sky to make themselves known. Only the waves of the iridescent sea, and the fluttering of the sails invoked the sense of the ears.

Naruto listened to this soothing melody as he lay on the deck of the yacht, his hands behind his head as Eko lay beside him. The peace of the area washed through his restful body, taking away his energy like a siren's song. He could feel the boat rocking over the slight waves below, and tried to imagine what it was like to be an infant once more. The innocence of that time… had he ever known it?

He could feel Takaito's eyes upon him, even if he couldn't see the old sailor. The two of them had spent quite a bit of time talking earlier; Naruto had gained his share of laughs. But now the seafarer couldn't help but smile as he recognised the look that his passenger was wearing. To anyone who was alone at sea, you couldn't help but lose something. It was up to the person what they lost though. Some people lost their minds, sure. But to people like him, and supposedly Naruto, the only thing they could lose was themselves to nature.

"Nice place to be, lost at sea, eh?" he asked, speaking in a rhyme that had often gone through his head. He was certainly living up to Naruto's impression of him, but naturally he knew nothing of it. He earned a smile from the resting boy, and took that as enough of an answer. He turned his head back to the bow and studied his horizon, seeing something that always disappointed him a little. "We're not too far from land; I'd give it about a half hour."

Naruto, who had gotten caught up in the sea, lifted his head slightly as if expecting to see proof of this from where he lay. Of course it didn't work out like that, but the action itself was enough to get him moving again. Lifting himself to his feet, he made his way over to join Takaito at the wheel. He looked over to the place that was apparently his destination, taking the view in silently. At first he saw nothing at all, but then the thin strip of land came into view. He had to hand it to Takaito, even his own trained eyes had been beaten by whatever knowledge the old man possessed.

"So how long do you imagine you'll be staying there?" Takaito asked, without looking up from the wheel. Though he had never come to this island himself, he had already memorised the sea chart and was turning the wheel accordingly to avoid any of the unseen dangers. This part of the sea was notorious for whirlpools of all sizes, even if there were no big ones nearby there was a risk of getting pulled off course. "In case there's no one who'll bring you back?"

Naruto gave this some thought; it wasn't surprising he hadn't already done so. For what he was coming here for… it was unlikely that this was going to be over quickly. But for how long, he couldn't say for sure. "I don't know." he replied, deciding that figuring it out was pointless. "You'll stick around for a while right? How about I find out then get back to you on it?"

"Alright, let's do it like that then."

Naruto nodded gratefully, before turning back and hopping down to the place he had left Eko. He lifted the blade up and sat on the bench running around the boat, resting his weapon on his lap._ "I haven't been here in… damn if I know how long." _the blade mused, as he tugged at faint strings of nostalgia resting deep within. _"The blacksmith… what was his name? I wonder if that guy's still around. From what I remember, he'd probably be mad as hell to see me."_

"_You think he'd recognise you?" _Naruto asked, letting out a faint chuckle. What would happen when they met whoever was on that island? Was there anyone left who even knew about the seven swords? Neither Naruto nor the Ekokaeten could answer that question, though both of them hoped that it was the case. And then there was the Uzumaki… did that name still exist, or was Naruto the last remaining one? The questions continued to rise up inside him, until he could think of only one thing to say. "Hey ojiisan, can you go any faster?"

The old man laughed in reply.

* * *

Not ten minutes later the boat pulled into port, a small harbour that seemed like it had seen better days. Nothing more than a couple of fishing boats were in tow, it seemed like Takaito really was Naruto's only ticket out of here. Along the walkway ahead a couple of the islanders stopped to look at the new arrival, watching with looks of clear surprise. The boat hadn't even come to a stop before Naruto stepped off it, his blade in place on his back. He looked around the place with a positive smile, feeling in a remarkably better mood than when the island had first come into view.

"I'll drop by later ojiisan!" he called, waving behind him as he ran along the pier. The sounds of his footsteps hitting the sodden wood were welcome compared to the monotonous noises he had almost gotten accustomed to on the boat. Whichever way he looked at it, sitting tight like that definitely wasn't something he enjoyed. To compensate for his built up energy, he ran towards the two people working at the harbour, and elderly woman and a middle aged man. "Hoi! Could you give me directions?"

The man and woman looked at each other, both unsure about what to make of this bizarre looking stranger. Visitors almost never came to this island, preferring the larger ones instead. Taking into consideration the giant sword the boy possessed, they certainly couldn't guess his intentions. "Erm… you sure you've come to the right place son?" asked the man, clearly thinking that Naruto had come to the wrong place. "There isn't much here for anyone to be dropping by for, you know?"

But Naruto was of course certain of his location. Even Eko confirmed it, recognising the scenery even if his memories were faint. He gave a strong nod that confirmed it, but that just made the two islanders more uncertain. "I'm looking for a guy, a blacksmith by the name of "Uzumaki"." he said, hoping that his search wouldn't be too difficult. Unfortunately, the reaction of the two islanders indicated otherwise.

"A blacksmith named Uzumaki…" the man muttered, slipping his hands into a folded position as his eyes squinted a little. More than being unfamiliar to the name, he seemed to grow uneasy from hearing it. The older woman emulated the same, looking to the man with a troubled look. The two of them made Naruto feel unsettled, even Eko was waiting to be told they were mistaken. "That's got to be wrong right? Who in their right minds would come all this way to visit _Takumi-san_?"

"_That's it!" _Eko cried, causing Naruto to start a little. The sudden vigour of the blade was unmistakable; it felt almost like he was vibrating in excitement. Of course, finding out he was right could do that, but it left Naruto in a vulnerable position for suddenly looking over his shoulder. The islanders were giving him confused looks, which wouldn't make them any more helpful. _"Uzumaki Takumi, no doubt about it!"_

Invigorated by Eko's confidence, Naruto looked back to the man and the woman with a matching face. "Do you know where I could find him?" he asked, his hands unconsciously curling into fists. Though the look in his eyes made the islanders wary, he knew he would have to find out as soon as possible. Takaito wouldn't wait for him forever. "I have to find him as soon as possible."

The man and woman both looked at each other, but decided that Naruto was certain with his decision. They muttered quietly to each other, their words almost impossible to make out behind their covered lips. Once they'd apparently settled, they dropped their hands and looked at Naruto again. "Well, we can't tell you where he is at this moment." the man confessed, hoping this unpredictable stranger wouldn't take his words in a bad way. "You see… Takumi-san has disappeared."

Naruto froze, staring at the man in shock. That was the last thing he had expected to hear, and also the last thing he _wanted_ to hear. It would have been fine if this Takumi person had moved, but to disappear was something else altogether. "What are you saying?" he asked, looking between the pair with a defined frown that Eko would have shared had he the capacity. "How does someone disappear on an island?"

"Oh oh oh, it's not like that dear!" the woman hurriedly replied, speaking up for the first time. It seemed she hadn't planned on speaking at all, judging by the sudden look of surprise and the way her hand raised to her mouth. Realising it was too late to back down now however, she regretfully continued. "Takumi-san often leaves his workplace unannounced; it can be a bit of a bother sometimes. He may be gone for a while, perhaps even days if you're unlucky!"

Her words didn't exactly relax Naruto, he wasn't sure he had a week to kill just waiting for this guy. From the looks of things he would have to go looking himself, but at least he now had a lead to go on. "Can you tell me where his workplace is?" he asked, trying to seem as unthreatening as he possibly could. "It's real important that I find him, I need his help with something that can't really wait. Do you get what I'm saying?"

It seemed for a moment that neither of them did. But neither of them wanted to be held up by him any longer, and he hardly seemed like the sort of person who would stay patient forever. The man stepped around Naruto, before pointing to a path that led up a hill and into the woods. "Well… first you have to make your way through there." he said, before he lightly gestured to the right. "Then take the turning along that way…"

* * *

It was a lonesome building, far from the company of the rest of the island. A small stonework building with a tall iron chimney, looking like time had really done a number on it. It was this building that Naruto now entered, stepping through the door-less entrance into the place that would give him some much needed answers to his oft asked questions.

A raven flew past, its midnight wings hitting Naruto's cheek as it screamed by. But Naruto didn't start; he had other things to focus on right now. He looked around the crumbled forge; everything was covered in a layer of soot. Could anyone even work in a place like this? It didn't seem to be the case. But from what those two back at the pier had told him, this was where Uzumaki Takumi did his work.

"Now what?" Naruto asked, thinking aloud. Though he knew he should be looking for clues to find this Takumi guy, considering the state this place was in that would be no easy task. He walked in deeper, peering through the pitch black shadows that stirred under the sound of his footsteps. He could see faint signs, gouges in the walls and floor. But the dirt encrusting them told of a struggle that was by no means recent. If anything had happened here, it had been long ago.

"_This place… it's so weird." _Eko murmured, as he gazed at the place he had been created. It wasn't something any human could understand, the feeling that this was the first place he was truly aware. To remember the day he was born, was it something that could be envied, or pitied? If there was even an answer to that question, Eko couldn't find it. Nut there was something else he found, something that quietened him even further. _"I'm picking something up… the stairs."_

It took him a moment, but Naruto managed to find the place Eko was referring to. A doorway to a small set of stairs lay hidden between a pair of worn cabinets. The darkness was complete down there; Naruto knew he would need to rely on his other senses if he was going in such a direction. So he carefully made his way over there, stepping into the tight corridor.

It was just a floor down, but when he reached the bottom Naruto really got the sense of being underground. There wasn't a shred of light to speak of, not even shadows existed down here. But Naruto had enough spatial awareness to make his way around, feeling blindly and taking each step as if he were walking on a bridge of paper. He knew he would find nothing like this, but short of an explosive tag he had no means of creating light. He only had one real option, and hoped it would be enough. He formed his seals and drew in a breath, before activating the Jutsu known as Biju Resonance Call. Then he let out a sharp whistle, his eyes closed tight as he watched for the effects to take place.

It was like an electrical current surged through the area, red sparks glimmered across the back of his eyes as the place he looked was given a vague outline. He looked around, but only got a slight idea of what he was seeing. However something managed to catch his notice. In one place, the sparks ascended up the stairs he had come down. And in another, they continued down a passage that looked suspiciously like a tunnel. _"Well… I don't remember _that_." _Eko commented, as he too studied the tunnel in interest. Since Naruto and Eko's chakra were synchronised together, Eko too benefited the effects of the Jutsu.

Taking that as a sign, Naruto made his way over to that tunnel. The sparks had already faded and he was acting on pure memory. But it was enough for now, it was the only option they had right now. He bowed his head as he climbed into the tunnel, feeling the cold earth walls with his hands. This tunnel had been dug out a long time ago, judging by the wooden supports his hands brushed across. Hopefully these meant he was safe from a cave in. Gaara had been concerned that Naruto would get lost at see, burying himself on an obscure island seemed even stupider somehow.

It was agonising how long this tunnel was taking. Naruto couldn't run like this no matter how much he wanted to. He had no way pf knowing which twists and turns the tunnels would take, using the Resonance Call repeatedly was harmful to his eyes. So like with most things he did, he moved on blindly in the hope he wasn't making a grave mistake. It wouldn't be the first time, after all.

He travelled like that for quite a while, feeling his way through the dark. But soon the smell of the sea came back to him, and the sound of crashing waves told him he was coming out somewhere. It was the light that came last of all, a brilliant white unfiltered by whatever lay out there. Though it would take a few minutes, the sight along filled Naruto with enough energy to push him into continuing on.

Suddenly he paused, frowning at another sound which almost blended in with the crashing waves. It was a roar that fitted with the rolling surf to the point of almost disappearing. But he _just_ managed to catch it. It was the bellow of a man, a sound of rage and hunger that had Naruto starting for a second. But then there came another sound, one that didn't fit quite so well. "TALK YOU BASTARD!" yelled a voice, before a loud thud was heard. Uncertainty filled Naruto as he began moving again, deciding to investigate the source of this strange disturbance. He hurried his movements and the light grew, the purity of sight contradicting the bitterness of sound.

He finally escaped the depths of the cave, climbing out into a broad opening that made him stop in wonder. Wherever he was, he had no idea. It seemed he was in a massive indent to the form of the island, where all that was there were rocks. This place opened out to the foamy sea, water washing in and out as it slowly receded with the tide. Here the sounds of grunts and roars had grown to a dissonant harmony with the thunder of the sea, unfitting while at the same time belonging nowhere better. But the source of these sounds were still out of sight, hidden somewhere up ahead.

Naruto stepped through the snowy path, the stones such a brilliant shade of white one could be fooled into thinking they were in the midst of winter. The spraying foam from the ocean made this image all the more vivid, until certainty leant further towards it than reality. The crunch of each step was marred only by the density of the smooth stones, forcing the truth that little bit more upon Naruto. At the very least, it was cold.

The voices stopped. Naruto paused, but the grunts and groans had subsided without warning. The only sounds were the waves, and that last step Naruto took over the tiny rocks. For some reason, Eko was passing on an unspoken tension to Naruto, one that made the boy's ears prick up and listen out for the slightest sound. He still didn't know what those voices were, and he was beginning to think he didn't want to.

Then there was a sound, a low growl that seemed almost inhuman to Naruto. It was guttural, like some sort of dying rattle. Naruto listened to it, but it was indiscernible, no words formed from it. But then he realised, that it _was_ discernable. In fact, what that bestial voice spoke was something familiar, infallibly so. The voice breathed "Eeekooo… kae… TENNN!"

Naruto instinctively grabbed hold of Eko's hilt, moving into a stance as he listened out for any further reaction. How could it be, how could someone have known about Eko? Moreover, what would happen as a result? Deciding not to put off answers unnecessarily; Naruto pulled the giant blade out and ran towards the source of the noise. The snowy pebbles scattered under his footsteps, all attempts to mask his noise disappeared. He tore around the wall of stone and raised his blade, facing the-

"_What?" _Naruto and Eko thought in unison, as their attentions locked on the grotesque figure before him. Something that looked disgustingly like some sort of hybrid of a fish and a bear was chained to the wall of rock, snarling at them with sharp, foaming teeth. It was dressed like a man, but in rags that no longer gave any indication of colour or style. But those things were no matter; the thing itself was a shocking sight.

He was a man, that much was certain now. But if not for his volatile attempts to break free of his bonds, he would have appeared as one of the dead. His grey skin held a faint blue tinge to it, his veins distinct and clear. His yellowing eyes were marked with red, evil stars leering out from amidst the walls of greying hair, and a beard so thick most of his chest lay hidden. The sight of this overweight, misshapen person would have turned Naruto's stomach, if not for the sudden sense of danger he received.

In an instant Eko was raised into the air, blocking the attacks that had come from above. He couldn't see his assailant's face behind Eko's form, but judging from the shape behind the ragged vest and jeans, it was a man who had attacked him, and a strong one at that. Wasting no time, Naruto pushed himself back to a better position, readying himself to take on this swift opponent of his. But to his shock, the enemy was already upon him, risking his own neck by ducking underneath the edge of Eko. He then brought his arms up in a sudden slash, cutting both of Naruto's with the small blades he wielded.

Naruto was shocked by the daringness of this enemy, and the pain of the attack forced him to drop Eko. But the cuts weren't deep enough to seriously wound him, and he was primed for a counterattack. Without wasting time to gather chakra, he threw his fists together into his enemy's chest. This attack, coming from someone capable of picking up a sword like the Ekokaeten, immediately stunned his enemy. But Naruto followed up with a knee thrust to the stomach, before ending with a sweeping kick that floored his opponent.

The rest was protocol. In the same movement Naruto pulled out his kunai and pinned his enemy's arms with his legs. The blade was against the attacker's neck even before Naruto had gotten a look at the guy. But now that he was down, Naruto had all the view he wanted. "Damn it… a Shinobi." grunted a man who was probably just past his middle ages. His sharp blue eyes locked onto Naruto's, looking over his heavily hooked nose to the blond boy. He had a look of discontent on his face, his curled lip and averted look showed that well. "This is pointless then. Get off me."

Naruto hesitated, as anyone in his case would have. But the pain of the way he landed on this guy had caused him to drop his blades, and Naruto was suitably prepared to put him down if the need be. He rose to his feet and stepped back, putting his kunai away and picking Eko up off the ground. Meanwhile, his attacker sat up, rolling his shoulders as he studied Naruto.

Naruto returned the gesture, glancing over the duck tail hairstyle and the thick sideburns, both of which were a deep shade of red hinted with flecks of silver. He had a worn face, like a sculpture made by a moody artist. His well built torso and oil stained clothes each gave Naruto a suspicious idea, one that he had little evidence to back up. "Are you Uzumaki Takumi?"

The red haired man looked up at Naruto with suspicious eyes, slipping his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter, before doing the obvious and lighting up. "Yeah, so what?" he asked, in a gruff voice. He gripped the cigarette tight between his teeth, keeping a strong hold on the only source of calm he had. Between this and the task he had been going at, he seemed to have a lot of pent up aggression. "You've got that sword. So you're one of the seven. What the fuck do you want?"

As violent as their meeting had been, Naruto felt a strange sense of relief. So this was the guy who would give him answers. But from the looks of things, only some of those questions would earn a reply. He knew he'd have to be careful if he wanted this situation to stay peaceful, more peaceful than their meeting at least. "I got sent here by another of the seven." he replied, trying to sound aloof without seeming like he didn't care. He gestured over to the blade on his shoulders, noticing that Eko was still wary about this guy. "Something to do with the sword, but I don't know what the deal is."

Uzumaki Takumi let out a sarcastic chuckle, taking his cigarette between his fingers and flicking the ash aside. He looked at the feral figure behind him, wearing a cruel smirk on his chapped lips. "Hey old man, feeling nostalgic?" he asked, goading the imprisoned husk of a human being into snarling again. Then he sat back, resting his arm on the boulder that lay beside him. "You wanna know what the deal is huh? Well I'll tell you what the deal is."

Naruto gave Takumi a serious stare, his feelings mixed in a chasm of uncertainty. Just who was this person, and that one behind him? This guy who could look so relaxed after slicing another man's arms open. Luckily the bleeding had already stopped, but that was hardly the point. Takumi had given up as soon as he realised Naruto was a Shinobi. That meant he wasn't. So where the hell did that bloodlust come from?

Takumi drew on his cigarette again, letting out the ethereal cloud of smoke in a blissful wave. He allowed himself only a moment of this, before flicking the nicotine stick into the sea. Almost immediately he was serious again, looking at Naruto with a glare that seemed to come naturally to the ravaged man. "The problem with those blades, is that they _exist_." he said, leaning forward to let Naruto see his darkened expression. He then raised his hand, poking the air with each word he came to speak. "Don't misunderstand. What I want is to take that sword, and the other of the seven, and send those things _straight back to hell."_


	52. Taking time out to create his own war

Thank FUCK I managed to get this chapter out at last, I could not get into it at all! See this is what happens when you only plan the end result, but not how to get there. Piece of advice to all you writers out there, the middle is always closer than the end, so pay more attention to that for now. And so that I don't end on a condescending note, I'll make sure you all know that I kept my word and this chapter is over 5000 words long to make up for the lateness!

Disclaimer: Urgh... I'm running out of series to use for my "one page one episode" rule. I'm spending way too much time trying to find decent manga and anime.

* * *

**Taking time out to create his own war**

The ocean waves crashed in the background, a booming orchestra adding to the tension in the air. Naruto felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if a spirit was bearing down on him. He watched as Takumi settled down next to the captive man, resting his neck against the fat, bloated arm. The prisoner paid him not the slightest bit of interest, his beady eyes fixed upon the Ekokaeten with a deep hunger that unsettled even the sword.

Takumi chuckled at his captive's growl, taking some sort of bitter pleasure from it. He rested his arm on his knee as he watched Naruto through the eyes of a coyote. "From the look on your face, I doubt you know a damn thing about those swords." he said, eying the blade much like his "friend" did. "That stupid expression, you probably haven't even spared it a moment's thought, am I right?"

Naruto's brow twitched in annoyance, an insincere grin appearing on his face. This guy was really asking for it, and Naruto was becoming less and less reluctant to give it to him. Why the hell did he need the help of such an asshole? "It's not like there was a manual left in that cave." he replied, unable to hide the feelings in his voice. "The hell you expect me to know _anything_?"

He was met with a look of irritating amusement as Takumi smirked at him. The old blacksmith slipped his arm around the back of his prisoner's neck, the crazed man's snarl raising a semitone at best. "You're not gonna tell me to apologise for that are you?" he asked, leering at Naruto with the arrogance of someone who clearly thought little of those around him. "All right then, how about we make a deal? First I'll tell you a couple of things about those blades… then we'll have a _real_ fight to decide that sword's fate. That sound reasonable?"

Of course it didn't, few things could sound more suspicious. But it wasn't like Naruto had a choice; he doubted intimidation would get him very far against this man. If he wanted to find whatever it was Kisame had sent him here for, he had to get this guy to willingly comply at almost any cost. "I guess I'm all ears then." he said, as he removed Eko from his back and took a seat on the cold stones. With the sword resting beside him, and his chin propped on his hand, Naruto stared as he awaited his promised explanation. "So what's up with wanting to destroy them and stuff?"

He felt his neck sprayed with foam from the sea, cooling down his heated head. Takumi let out a faint, cynical chuckle suggesting he had all the cards in his hands. "Looks like you can be a good boy when you want." he goaded, his laugh turning into a low cough that by no means detracted him from the moment. He gave a sigh and looked up at the ceiling, relaxing once again as he wore a look of nostalgia. "Back when I was a brat, about your age, I lived nowhere near the glamorous life of wholesale slaughter that you probably enjoy. I was just an apprentice blacksmith, working for my _dear, sweet_ master here." he pulled his captive's head in and gave him a rough kiss to the beard. His apparent master tried to gnaw Takumi's face off, but his lack of neck prohibited that. "I had no idea he'd been commissioned by some Shinobi to make some special weapons. The bastard kept that under his hat, playing me like a fool.

"Thing is, even when it came back to bite him in the ass he didn't show a second of remorse, did you buddy?" Takumi continued, lightly slapping his master's cheek and almost losing his fingers in the process. "He was mad as hell when those swords turned on him, but once he was bandaged up he got right back to it. Unfortunately for him his employer had disappeared, and he was left with only half assed methods. You could say that's the reason he's like this now."

Naruto had shifted position since Takumi had started talking. Now he sat with his arms folded, and his eyes as narrow as the mind of a hungry boar, with the intelligence to match. "I don't get what you're saying." he said, causing Takumi to glance over to him in surprise. For a moment he had actually forgotten Naruto was there, he was so caught up in reminiscing. He watched as Naruto raised his hand, pointing to the deranged blacksmith chained to the wall. "So… _that's_ the guy who made the swords? And what the hell are you talking about, employer disappearing? Why should I care?"

It seemed the situation was now reversed, as Takumi put on a dangerous grin that had much greater effect than Naruto's earlier one. He unhooked his arm from his master's shoulder and leaned in close to look at Naruto, letting him see all the teeth in his mouth. "The reason you should care, is because that sword of yours is _unfinished."_ he explained, taking sour delight in the stunned look that appeared on Naruto's face. He could only tell that this look would increase as the story went on, and so his urge to continue grew further. "Each of those swords possess desires, if it's hunger, bloodlust, pride, whatever the fuck they've got. You know why this is? Heh heh heh heh, of course you don't. Each of those swords... has a human soul inside them!"

The air grew tense, the silence that came disrupted only by the chained master's barks. Slowly, Naruto and Eko's attentions turned to each other. Both of them shared the same thoughts, but neither could form words to go with them. They just stared silently, unable to utter the slightest response. "Of course, the Ekokaeten was the last of the seven to be created." Takumi continued, attracting the bewildered attention of his audience back to him. "This may be tough for you to understand, being a moron and all, but this Shinobi who hired boss man here had a pretty special trick. I don't have the slightest idea how he did it, but that sword beside you is proof enough. Pity is, the guy vanished before he could kill of enough of the soul inside that sword to keep what was needed. Of course, there's that and other things."

The silent look on Naruto's face caused Takumi's smirk to fade away. Within moments his dark look was back, as if his past was the only thing that shed some kind of cruel, twisted light upon his mind. He lifted himself up to his feet and dug his hand into his pocket, watching as Naruto did the same. "That's enough talk, let's get down to the real stuff." he said, as he took something small enough to stay hidden in his clenched fist. "I suggest you put that sword somewhere out of reach, he'll only go for it."

Naruto did a double take, glancing at Takumi's hand before looking at it again. The blacksmith held not a weapon of any sort, but a _key_. When he turned towards his master and made for the locks to the chains, Naruto realised that it wasn't Takumi he'd be fighting. "Wait a minute, what's going on?" he demanded, as he quickly grabbed hold of Eko. The blade was barely aware of what was going on, understandably so. "I don't get it, what're you doing?"

"No sword, and none of those ninja tricks either." Takumi replied, taking a step back from his master. One of the chains was unlocked, and the deranged prisoner was already lashing out not at Takumi, but for the Ekokaeten. Naruto hesitated, rightfully. It wasn't just that bound guy who wanted the sword, it was Takumi too. But if those were his conditions, then there were no two ways about it.

While Takumi headed for the second lock, Naruto jumped back to the tide. The water was too volatile for him to stand upon, but fortunately it was shallow. _"Hey, Naruto, what're you doing?"_ Eko protested, unaware of the situation from his thoughts. Naruto didn't give an answer; his eyes were focused on the earth wall above. It took some quick thinking, but then Naruto pulled the blade back and hurled it with all his might. Eko called out in shock, but soon disappeared over the tip of the small cliff above. With the great sword out of the way, Naruto hurried back to dry land.

"Good boy." Takumi said, as he paused by the lock, with the key already inside. His master was failing after Naruto, not even glancing at his old student. "Here're the conditions. You beat this thing bare handed, you win. You die, you lose. Got it?" he asked, without waiting for an answer. With a flick of his wrist his prisoner was free, and he stepped out of the way. Perching himself on a tall rock, he readied himself for what he knew would come, and what Naruto could guess.

The slobbering master lumbered from his bonds, his husky breath slipping out from his decaying throat. The chains of his shackles dragged across the stones like rain on metal, an incessant rattling that followed his slow and disharmonious body. For someone that had shown so much vigour, it seemed like he had forgotten quite how to move. But that didn't stop the cold thirst in his eyes, the only thing he needed to go on. He snarled with each step, his sharp teeth filthy and rancid.

His steps were slow and short, but his resolve was strong. He staggered towards Naruto limply, his snarls rising in pitch as he steadily quickened his movements. He was like a wounded bear, enraged and craving his kill. The sweat secreting from his repulsive body mingled with his bloodlust, both the scent and feeling were decisively inhuman. Naruto didn't wish to look upon this disgusting thing any longer, and so he closed the distance in just a few steps, before throwing his fist into the master's swollen stomach.

The walking corpse stayed on his feet, lurching over from Naruto's punch. But he disobeyed all the results that should have been shown. He wasn't taken off the ground, nor did he make any sound of pain. The wayward Shinobi was shocked, how could something like this be so unaffected by his strength? But then the putrid artisan succeeded in revolting Naruto further, by releasing the content's of his stomach all over the boy's tensed arm. "FUCK!" Naruto yelled, pumping his foot into the master's stomach. He could feel the warmth of the puke through his bandages, and shivered in revulsion as the juices ran down his fingers. Almost every sense in his body pleaded with him to get the sickening stuff off, but the one sense that counted told him not to. Instinct dictated that trivial things would get him killed, so he would have to cope for now.

"That's right boy, stand strong." Takumi called out, his voice antagonising the only one of Naruto's five senses the vomit wasn't irritating. He looked up at the spectator with clear annoyance, why the hell did he have to fight like _this_? There was one thing he knew, if that gross _thing_ threw up on him one more time, screw the training, both it and Takumi were gonna die. "Show me that the sword isn't corrupting you, and you'll get what you came here for!"

Once more Naruto cursed, but this time it was in his mind. If that was all he needed to do, then it _sounded_ easy enough. Problem was, there were few things that sounded less desirable right now. Hell, he'd rather give Samehada a good meal of his chakra than fight this wretched thing. But of course such options were out the window. After all, he'd made a promise to Gaara, hadn't he? He wouldn't come back until he'd done what needed doing. Swallowing his surprise, and silently praying that was all he'd be swallowing, he rushed his opponent with the intent of staying away from the mouth.

The master's movements were beyond predictable, though Naruto's were probably not much better. Massive mallets of meat swung through the air, throwing a rotten smell around that physically injured Naruto's trained nose. Naruto returned the punches with sharp accuracy, but soon learned brute force was ineffective. Could it be that this monster didn't feel any pain? It failed to react to any of Naruto's attacks, the best he got was the occasional stagger and the worst another case of upheaval. This fight was by far his worst, he'd sooner be getting his ass kicked by Hyuuga Neji than hold his own against this beast.

"OOOOAAAAHHH!" Naruto bellowed, as his body was suddenly rejuvenated. Falling back into the Taijutsu training he sorely lacked, Naruto proceeded to step around the walking sack of flesh with bouncing movements. He delivered rapid punches and swift kicks, aiming not to take the enemy down quickly, a so far futile dream, but instead to cause certain muscles to become sore and tense. He remembered words that Uchiha Itachi had once spoken to him, while the silent crow had watched him training with Kisame. _"A man whose left leg is injured, will certainly prefer his right." _was what he had said. It was a funny piece of advice, but it was something that had stuck with Naruto well. Now was the time to test how effective it really was.

The former blacksmith still failed to respond to pain, trying desperately to claw at Naruto with overgrown nails. But that was fine, even if he couldn't feel it, the effects must surely have been working. When Naruto dealt stronger attacks, the creature had developed the tendency of leaning to his right. _"So that's your good leg huh?"_ Naruto thought, as his foe trudged over to him once more. Maybe then he _did_ feel the pain, but was just unable to respond to it? Or maybe he couldn't. In either case, Naruto had learned some interesting things. Unfortunately the arrogance in his smile was compensated by shock to his eyes, as he was suddenly struck from behind.

"What an idiot." Takumi murmured, as Naruto was hit by a wave. The moment of blindness and shock was all that his old master needed to charge Naruto to the floor, forcing him beneath the water. Naruto bucked under the weight of the fat slob on top of him, he really felt like a walrus was pressing himself upon him. But this walrus acted like a bear, clawing and slashing as it tried to fulfil its desire of tasting Naruto's flesh. Naruto did his best to hold the creature off, his strong hands holding the fleshy wrists of his opponent, and his knees pressing against the enemy's chest. But his head was submerged, and the sudden assault had already winded him. _"Letting something like that pin you underwater. Looks like there's nothing behind that sword and your ninja tricks."_

Naruto struggled beneath the behemoth, his teeth bared as he fought to keep the air in his lungs. It would be so easy to cut this thing apart, he had to resist his instinct to use his Wind Palm. Doing that would make this whole thing pointless, but was it worth risking his life over? _"The hell you talking about stupid, you gonna wuss out now?"_ his inner self demanded, mentally thumping Naruto across the head. The metaphysical attack made him shake his head, throwing his negative thoughts out of his mind. There was no space for thinking here, acting was all he could do. And so with that clear in his mind, he acted.

In the harsh, freezing water of the sea his body was quickly going numb. But he managed to shift the weight between his knees in time with a punch he threw at the former blacksmith's head. With great effort he managed to roll the massive mound off of him and reverse positions, sitting on the cushion that was his opponent's stomach. Holding the arms down was no longer necessary, this animal flailed uselessly under the tide, experiencing the winter Naruto had been forced to cope with just a moment ago.

In his half aware state, Naruto raised his fist to pummel the last breaths out of his foe's face, to get this damn thing over with. But his numb arm was heavy, his hand wouldn't tense properly. And more than that, he could see there was no need. The former blacksmith was old, and in his bestial state he was stupid. He had as well as forced the air out on his own, and had nothing left to keep him going. Naruto stepped off of him; the deed was done.

The waves hit Naruto's stomach, but he didn't care. He stared at the corpse that was too heavy to float, watching as the tangled mass of hair shimmered around a surprised face. Had Naruto not known any better, he'd have guessed this person had been dead for hours. But thinking that, Naruto realised there was no pride in this kill. That person really had been dead for a long time.

He heard Takumi enter the water, but didn't look to greet him. He could feel the now master-less blacksmith standing beside him, surveying the body that was slowly being pulled away by the tide. "Well I'll be damned." Takumi muttered, as he looked over Naruto's soaked body. "Not a drop of his blood on your hands, even though you've got one of those swords. Guess that shows something, but I can't say for sure what that is."

He received no response to his words, which was completely fine. He looked from Naruto back to his former captive, before jerking his head and turning away. As he stepped through the cold surf however, he felt his vest suddenly tighten behind him. Naruto was gripping his clothes, but still kept his attention elsewhere. "He was your master, wasn't he?" the boy asked, unsettled and angry at the lack of sympathy that someone with the same name as him was showing. "You got nothing to say?"

"My master died when he made those fucking swords!" Takumi growled, thrusting his shoulder forward and forcing Naruto's grip off of him. The two stood with their backs to each other, if possible the divide between them had grown ever larger. But by this point, Takumi wasn't the only one who didn't care about the other's opinions. "Don't get me wrong you piece of shit, I fucking _hate_ the outcome. If I thought for a second you would have won, I'd have taken you on myself. But you stayed true to the end, so I have to as well. So let's just get this over with, and get you the _fuck _off of my island."

Naruto looked over his shoulder as Takumi left the water, making his way towards the tunnel that would lead back to the forge. It seemed that harsh exterior held little inside, just bitterness and anger. It was enough to make the most virtuous of men a cynic, watching this guy's cold back. With a sigh, Naruto looked up to the place he had thrown the Ekokaeten. _"Guess we'd better get this over with." _he thought, before leaping up to fetch his startled weapon.

* * *

The dark and dusty forge was just a cauldron of grief to Takumi's eyes, but he refused to show it for even a second. As he heard the boy who defeated his master trudge up the staircase behind him he set about shoving junk off of a nearby anvil. Here he sat down as he awaited the arrival of the boy and the blade he really had no desire of seeing right now. When he caught sight of the blond hair he jerked his head to the crate not too far to his left. Once Naruto was seated he leant forward, holding his hand out expectantly. "Well give it over then." he ordered, watching the Ekokaeten solemnly. He could feel the hesitation from Naruto, and privately knew that the sword was giving the same feeling. But he said nothing as Naruto slid the blade off his back and handed it over.

"So what's the deal then?" Naruto asked, resting his arms on his sodden slacks. He was pretty sure he would catch a cold like this, hopefully his heightened immune system would protect him from anything worse. Takumi took no notice of his discomfort however, and looked the blade over as if it were an old and dusty tome. He lifted it just as easily as Naruto did, an impressive feat considering that this man apparently had no Shinobi training. But there was no way Naruto was going to commend Takumi for anything, at least not until he'd done something worth recognising. "You better not get any bright ideas."

The red haired blacksmith growled in response, watching the ruby sheen that glanced off the metal that was Eko's blade. "A stupid idea would be all I need to outwit a moron like you." he said, his eyes narrowing as he lifted the blade higher. He ignored Naruto as he received and enraged grin, but could feel the bloodlust that had first put him off the boy. "Looks like this sword is missing a few materials, not to mention the soul is entirely unfiltered. A thing like this should have lost its mind a long time ago, if it can even process thought."

"_What a grumpy old bastard."_

Though Naruto smirked at Eko's remark, his expression was surprisingly fleeting. Takumi had suddenly begun glowering at the sword, a spiteful look of negative desire. There was no denying it; he had heard Eko clearly. But that was impossible, only Kisame and Naruto could hear the blade's words, only someone who could be called a wielder of one of the seven swords. If Takumi could hear it, then he had to be like that. There was no two ways about it. "Fucking cocky piece of shit." Takumi grunted, as he turned the blade in his hand and balanced the tip on the grimy stone floor. Then he gave it a light shove, knocking it to the ground with a resonating bang before anything could be done about it. Then he went on with his words, stopping Naruto's protests ahead of time. "Looks like the soul seal is still intact, so he's not going anywhere fast. No damages either, looks like it must have grown into its size."

Naruto picked up his fallen sword, glaring at Takumi as he dusted the blade with his hand. Who the hell did this bastard think he was, doing as he liked like this? If it weren't for all the confusing things he was saying Naruto would have already laid into him by now. The fire in his veins and the ice in his eyes conflicted with each other, threatening an explosion of anger that would see this man in several pieces, in several places. "Better start making sense soon old man!" he growled, his not so quite fury resonating with the Ekokaeten's indignation.

"I'm saying don't expect results fast!" Takumi replied, rising to his feet and ignoring Naruto's discontent like he had everything else about the boy. He cast his hand around his dark workplace, his leering eyes fixed upon Naruto for each moment as he introduced the musty space around them. "You want me to turn that thing into a bunch of horseshoes or crowbars, can do! But this place is in no condition to deal with something like this! And to top it off, I never worked with those blades in person, so I don't know shit that didn't come from my master's notes! You want that sword finished, and you want it done fast right? Well then don't expect to sit on your ass while I wave my magic hammer, cos it ain't gonna do a fucking bit of good!"

In an instant Naruto was on his feet too, suddenly feeling sick of being sworn at. Every bit of bloodlust Kisame had honed into his small body was begging him to at least knock Takumi's ego to the ground. It was only his reason that kept him from doing just that. Though his nails dug into the base of his palm, and his teeth threatened to crack in his jaw, he had to face one harsh reality. All that stuff Takumi had just told him didn't make a _shred_ of sense to him. On his own, he definitely would get nowhere. So though it pained him immensely, he stepped past his apparent relative and made for the open doorway, before pausing at the entrance. "Fine, I'll do it your way." he said, his words antagonising to speak. He did his best to keep his head up, refusing point blank to let Takumi see his injured pride. "What do you need?"

"Wood." Takumi replied, in a quick and strict tone. He seemed hurried for someone so against working on the Ekokaeten, but Naruto was starting to think that this was just this guy's nature. If that was true or not however was inconsequential; it already felt like he was under the command of some self righteous asshole. In fact, it almost made him laugh to think, but it was almost like working for Gaara. "And coal. And a lot of ore. There's a mine at the back of the island that should have those things, but you better hope you know a thing or two about barriers. Cos there's one there that won't let anyone inside. Call it my master's insurance."

He watched from the shadows, looking to Naruto in the light. Whether the boy could get past the barrier or not was down to chance, but it was a gamble he had no problem with making. What surprised him however was Naruto's reaction. All the kid did was nod and head off, leaving Takumi to whatever it was he needed to do. _"For such a smart mouth, he's got some heavy thoughts in there." _he mused, as he turned back towards his forge. He could care less what was going through the brat's mind right now, his other priorities were pushing forward. However without his usual efficiency, Takumi slipped his knuckles against his waist and glared at the ground, nearly making the shadows recline from nerves. _"But who the hell does he remind me of?"_

* * *

The warm sun had met its high, and prepared to rest easy for another night. The still clouds and cool sea breeze invited sleep to all those who fought against it. The trees swayed lightly as their consciousness drifted, letting out faint snores as they caught an early nap. In amidst these trees stood Naruto, who after three hours of avid searching had finally found the mine Takumi had spoken of. He hadn't thought to ask for directions, and sort of regretted it now. He had wasted stamina in using Kage Bunshin to aid him, even if it was only a little.

Looking now he understood what Takumi was saying about the barrier. Though it was invisible to the naked eye, Naruto's chakra awareness allowed him to feel the veil cast over the mouth of the gaping cavern. It wouldn't surprise him in the least if he was the first visitor to this place in years. More than just being impossible to enter, he got a dark feeling from this cave, like a great emptiness filled its inner reaches. Of course, he had faced emptiness often before. But in this case, he didn't like it in the least.

"_Feels like it's pulling you in, doesn't it?"_ Eko asked, his voice strangely quiet for something that could only be heard by some. But Naruto had to agree with the blade; this cave just felt _wrong_ for some reason. Still, he had no other choice according to Takumi. Then again, he could easily see this as another attempt to get him killed and lose the Ekokaeten. He let out a sigh, gripping his aching forehead. Since when did he get so unbelievably paranoid?

Casting aside his doubts and worries, Naruto made his way closer to the cave embedded in the grassy knoll. He could see the four seal tags on the mine's entrance, they didn't look like all that much. Then again, his knowledge of barrier Jutsu wasn't exactly top form. He was gonna have to take a risk here, one that could cause serious damage. _"Hey- the hell are you doing?"_ Eko exclaimed, as Naruto suddenly drew the blade into his grasp. Of course, _he_ wouldn't be taking any risks at all. _"You son of a-"_

_CRACK!_

The Ekokaeten was swung around in a rapid slash, leaving a long thin horizon in the now visible pink barrier. As soon as the field was disrupted, Naruto was treated to a strange sensation as the entire mine inhaled. Air dashed past him towards the narrow opening and forced its way inside, as if the wind itself was beckoning him forward. The power of the air and the pressure caused the barrier to shatter, and Naruto was now literally pulled inside the cave. He panicked for only a moment, then grabbed onto the wall of the cavern. With his chakra he made his hold firm, so that not even the forces of nature could drag him into the darkness. _"What the hell is this?" _he thought, closing an eye that was struck with dust. Was the mine really trying to swallow him or something?

Then the cave calmed, the gust subsiding and Naruto's balance returning to him. His eyes fluttered open and shut as he tried to get the dirt out of them. He still couldn't comprehend what had just happened, but stranger things had certainly happened. _"Think this is the only entrance?"_ Eko asked, as Naruto released his grip on the stone wall. His wielder glanced to him in hand, before giving a half hearted shrug in reply. _"Either something down there just sucked in a lot of air, or some crazy bastard vacuum sealed this place."_

Naruto chuckled at the suggestion, his shoulders shaking as he rubbed his sore eyes. He looked blearily to the shadows up ahead, spotting lanterns lined up against the wooden supports. This mine had clearly been well used at one point, or at least dealt with by a professional. If this place was really like that, then why do something as strange as Eko suggested? Naruto barely formed that question in mind before his grin slipped, and his feelings from before suddenly found their way to the surface. What was that bastard leading him into?


	53. Restless like a newborn morning

Wow, three reviews for that last chapter. Heh, I think I get it. You guys don't like the idea of Naruto digging in a cave for several chapters right? Well no worries there, that'd be boring as hell to write. Hopefully what happens here will spark some of that interest back, I'd be kind of surprised if it didn't.

Disclaimer: Woot if you can't wait for the next manga chapter.

* * *

**Restless like a newborn morning**

The flame from the lantern cast light across the dusky mine, casting grey upon the unbreakable black. In this place there was only darkness and shadows, light merely invited the latter of the two. But it was enough to see where he was going; the rest came from senses trying to decide if they wanted to acknowledge their surroundings. A hollow howl gave word of the tunnel's path, the smell of coal and other musty things gave depth perception, along with the feel of the hardened ground beneath his feet. The taste of the damp air made his stomach turn, why wasn't this place ventilated? But none of these things really mattered, all he really knew was what his gut instinct told him; to turn around and walk away.

He suppressed those feelings as best he could, how could he look his sensei in the eye if he fled from a scary mine? Or rather, how would he _survive_ telling Kisame such a thing? The deeper he descended into the darkness, the more this became a thing of pride. The mine was goading him, whispering for him to leave. But he wasn't going to succumb for a moment. To him the entrance was already closed off, there was absolutely no way he was leaving empty handed. So he gathered his courage and marched on, wilfully ignorant to the creeping shades all around him. But there was one thing he couldn't ignore, something he only just came to notice. There were footsteps that weren't his own. Cautiously he looked over his shoulder, searching for the source of the out of time steps. What he saw however was a faint silhouette to the distance, darkness within the shadows.

"_Booooooooyyyyy!"_

It really couldn't be helped. Naruto had no stomach for scary things. "HYEEEEAAAAAGGGHHH!" he yelled, as he turned tail and bolted into the darkness, his knees almost striking his chin as he flew into the deeper reaches of the mine. The flame of the lantern danced frantically, and dark claws appeared across the cavern walls. Naruto was on the verge of dying his slacks a darker shade, what the hell had he been thinking coming to a place like this?

Fortunately the footsteps behind had faded away, the voice no longer discernable amongst the howls of wind through the cave. Naruto was by no means comforted by this however, as the lantern suddenly died and the few shreds of incandescence he had disappeared. _"Some swordsman you've turned out to be!"_ Eko called, berating Naruto for his display of cowardice. But whereas the blade felt no fear from the ominous presence behind him, he too didn't like this place in the slightest. In spite of himself he liked being here no more than his fleeing wielder.

But Naruto and Eko were soon to find their troubles were a lot worse than bad feelings or creepy silhouettes. They had been running blindly for a while now, or maybe just a few seconds. But their steps were getting louder, the echoes increasing in resonance as if there were an army around Naruto running alongside him. That told him he had just entered someplace large. Worse than the sound however, was the thing that his feet told him next. He had run out of ground to step on. "DAAAAHHH!"

_THUD!_

His fall hadn't been deep, but it was enough to knock him senseless. He had landed flat on his back, which now hurt like a bitch. Scattered dust and pieces of stone fell down upon him like a dry rain, coating his body in a layer of debris. Painfully he lifted himself up, rubbing his back as he tried to distinguish his surroundings. _"What the hell?"_ he thought to himself, his dizzy head keeping his focus incomplete. The darkness had faded a little and he could just barely comprehend his environment. It seemed he had fallen into a broad pit of sorts. _"Man I hate caves."_

Eko had just started to agree when Naruto rudely hushed him. Though the sounds of his fall were still ringing out, and the wind could still be heard through the tunnels, so too had the footsteps returned. Naruto shivered in the darkness; the fall had as much succeeded to knock him out of his senses as it did to bring him back to them. He no longer felt the desire to run away, and instead let himself feel anger towards the approaching noise. He watched the place he had fallen from with a glare, noticing a faint light coming from the tunnel he had been not moments ago.

The silhouette from before appeared again, but this time it was more than a shadow. It had brought along a lantern of its own, pale light casting across its face and revealing a cold stare that it returned to Naruto. "Didn't figure you to be a wimp." Takumi said, as he turned to his right and crouched on the ground. There he began toying with something, while all Naruto could do was watch with a look of both disbelief and shame. Of all people, why did it have to be _this guy_ he had fled from? "You left before I could give you this, you'd stand no chance of getting anything done without it."

Several strange sounds could be made, things clicking in and out of place, low thuds and even the noise of a spring jumping back into place. The most prominent sound however was the sound of a lonely beast, the whine of a dog longing for his master. With that came another call, as all around the room a hundred shadows clicked their tongues before departing into the tunnels. Takumi had changed the battery to a small generator, and with it had light up dozens of bulbs that lined the ceiling and walls. Naruto got to his feet with this revelation, turning on the spot as his breath left him.

The walls of the tall circular room were engraved with writings from languages Naruto didn't know. They all followed the same pattern of falling vertically down the walls, and gathering at the floor. On the ceiling these symbols took on another pattern, spiralling in an indiscernible vortex of words as it reached the centre, where Naruto was able to actually recognise something. Each of those foreign words all met to a single symbol, the kanji for morning star. Naruto's eyes narrowed at this, what did that mean?

"…_If that's impressing you, wait til you look down _there_."_

Following the cue Eko gave him, Naruto turned his eyes down to the floor below. Though he had been shocked by the sights around him, that which lay beneath him far surpassed what the writings achieved. He was standing upon a giant stone carving of what looked like a face. But that face belonged to no human being; it lacked such gentle and ugly features. This face was more like some sort of war mask, one decorated with curved horns at either temple. The eyes of this mask were deep and unclear, and the mouth which was free of coverage appeared harder than the mask itself. Beads and jewel shapes decorated this face, outlining a divide that cast down the middle. This thing on the floor, whatever depiction it was of, it looked like it was merely decoration to a grand and foreboding doorway.

"Looks like the old coot was right after all." Takumi said, as he took perch at the edge of the ledge Naruto had fallen off not long before. He too gave the face on the floor great attention, but was nowhere near as shocked as Naruto was. Though he hadn't been here in a long time, he knew this place enough that the monument held little mystery to him. "Sixteen possible routes to take in this damn place and you end up here. That thing drew in your energy didn't it boy?"

Naruto looked up at Takumi with bated breath, was that the feeling which hit him before? Sure enough, there was a peculiar sensation here, like gravity meant more than it would outside. The urge to sit back down was pretty strong, even though adrenaline was bursting through his veins. "What is this place?" he asked, his voice somehow weaker than it was before. He felt bad, too heavy to move freely. He shouldn't be feeling like this, no one should have to feel like this. "You pulling a trick old man?"

As his breaths came heavily, he watched Takumi slip off the ledge and onto his level. The rounin blacksmith joined him on the carving with his hands in his pockets, not paying the work of art the least bit of respect. Considering what Naruto knew, he could think of one giant Shinobi who would be pretty furious to see a sculpture being disregarded like this. "This is the place." Takumi said, oblivious to the thoughts of the boy beside him, who was beginning to slouch unappealingly. "I don't know exactly how it works, but this place acts as a passage of sorts. From what I know of my master's writings, it works a little something like this. When people die, their souls leave their body and turn into energy. This place draws in the energy of the environment and pulls souls in that same way. That energy is gathered, and through a certain method is refined. This is where my master made the seven swords, with the energy of nature and the recently deceased."

While Naruto gave him a predictably stupid expression, Takumi crouched down and lightly touched the stone monument. He wiped a layer of dirt and dust off, showing a dark green colour to lie underneath the blanket of grey. "Yeah, it's like I thought." he continued, as he rose back to his feet and looked over to the blank Naruto. "All the energy is gone; this place is trying to replenish its stores. So long as no one nearby dies, things should go slowly. But this will have to be the place we do this, we'll need to bring stuff over from the forge. This is gonna take a while, so you better get used to that feeling of yours. Let it get to you and you'll never get up again."

His voice was really pissing Naruto off, saying some things that made no sense and others that were obvious. He understood nothing about that energy talk, but even he could see that the longer he stayed here the more encumbered he would feel. But at the very least, he didn't doubt what this feeling was. He had experienced on many occasions before. _"This is just like… Samehada." _he thought, as he tried to straighten himself up. The sensation of having his energy consumed by some outside force reminded him almost exactly of the times he and Kisame had sparred against each other. His lips curled into a slight grin, and the faintest of laughs slipped through. Compared to then, this was nothing. "Quit your bellyaching, I ain't gonna stop here." he said, as he rolled his shoulders back and looked at Takumi with a smirk. "What're we waiting for, you need a rest old timer?"

The two pairs of azure eyes watched each other, silently communicating something that neither person understood. Both Uzumaki's stared at each other, their gazes narrowing as one tried to figure out the other. Once again that strange sense of familiarity came to Takumi, the thing that he couldn't place no matter how he thought about it. "Hey, boy," he began, his expression turning suspicious as his mind gave him the same message over and over again. "Who _are _you?"

The question made Naruto's smile slip for a second, he had almost forgotten his other purpose of coming to this place. He turned away, looking at the only other tunnel than the one he had come in. Even if he didn't know where it went, he intended on going down there in a moment. "Call me… Naruto." he said, before he stepped towards that passage. "This the way to what we're looking for?"

* * *

Time inside a mine becomes strange after a while. The only source of light comes from the bulbs in some places, and lanterns in the others. There was no smell of night, though after the many hours of working it must have been that time. Right? Well Naruto wasn't one to think about things like that. His focus was entirely on the task at hand, not letting even the important things distract him. More than once Takumi had stopped him from digging too deep and risking tunnel collapse. It was those moments that Naruto really wished he was a fast learner, however history tried to correct him.

That was how he'd spent the time since Takumi had given him that strange explanation. The old blacksmith had procured a couple of pickaxes, shovels and a wheelbarrow for them to work with. Then he had led Naruto into the deeper reaches of the mine, where previous workers hadn't yet tapped all the resources. The walls were still thick and rugged down here, with flecks of black, silver and other evocative colours that drew the two workers forward. These were what they were digging up, and so far they were doing a pretty decent job.

Sweat rolled down Naruto's hot brow, moisture feeling like oil on his skin. No matter how hard he rubbed the dampness never left him, he only succeeded in making himself filthy. But in spite of this he was grinning; two years of swinging a sword like the Ekokaeten made things like mining for ore a walk in the park. In fact, stuff like this had actually been part of his strength training. Not long after Eko had evolved from his previous katana state, Kisame had given him a task to ensure his apprentice would get the muscles to lift such a sword. He had sent Naruto in a cave, blocked the entrance and left Naruto digging for survival. Good times.

However great his efforts were however, he couldn't deny the fact that he was working with a master of such things. Where he worked so much faster and dug so much deeper, Takumi could almost sense the materials they needed and locked on to the right places. As a result, he _still_ managed to produce more than the considerably stronger boy behind him. Of course, that fact drove Naruto insane, causing him to dig _faster_ and _deeper_. _Then_ of course he'd get stopped, called an idiot and moved on to the next vein.

Dropping the pickaxe down on the ground, Naruto reached over and dug his aching fingers into the wall of the mine. With slight strain, he pulled out a large rock covered in specks of some sort of metallic mould. However disgusting they may have looked, these were the ingredients he needed to make the Ekokaeten stronger, or "complete", apparently. "Hey, how much more of this do we need?" he asked, as he dropped the chunk of ore into the already piling up wheelbarrow. He did his best to invite some cool air in, flapping his haori naively. "You trying to make a whole other sword or something?"

Takumi let out a deep grunt as he threw the point of his tool into the stone wall. There it stayed as he released the handle and wiped his brow, taking in his breaths for just a moment. "Yes moron, I'm making _several _other swords." he replied, his voice ambiguous between sarcasm and otherwise. "What we're gonna be doing has never been done before, not even by my master. One screw up and you can say goodbye to the Ekokaeten. Now while I could care less about the fate of the blade, I've got a reputation to uphold. No way am I doing this unless I know I can do it _right_. So shut up and keep digging til I tell you to stop, got it?"

Without waiting for an answer he grabbed the pickaxe and resumed his assault on the defenceless mine. The walls yelped with each strike, but Takumi's frosty glare showed he could care less about it. Naruto realised he had found someone who was maybe as much of a hard-ass as his own sensei, and for some reason was not the least bit comforted. Though he grumbled, he too got back to his duty. But even as he chipped away at the stone, coal and ore he wasn't entirely focused. Whether it was the sense of a seven swordsman or just intuition of a companion, he knew that Eko was troubled. _"How's it going buddy?"_ he asked, as he dug out some cracked and useless pieces of stone. _"This whole thing bothering you?"_

If he had been expecting to be snapped at by the blade, he was in for quite a surprise. Eko gave him no immediate response, and in truth he couldn't really blame him. He knew _he_ would probably be in a state of shock or something, to find out that he had once been a living, breathing thing. _"Nah, not really."_ Eko replied, putting a sudden stop to Naruto's sympathy, and almost killing Takumi as his wielder swung the pickaxe back. _"If what that asshole says is true, then I was once a human, but I died right? If that's the case then there isn't anything complaining will do. Besides, I think life is pretty sweet as it is."_

"There's no guarantee you were a human." Takumi said, reminding the boy and his blade that he could clearly hear Eko's words. He place the pickaxe aside and leant against the wooden support, folding his arms as he watched the sword sourly. "As you are, the height of your existence is your ability to speak, which is the only remotely human thing about you. The energy that was put into the blades wasn't discriminated by source; you were given whatever was there. For all we know, your awareness could come from a wild pig or something."

Takumi really had to be applauded. There were few people who could say such a cold thing with such an uncaring expression. Naruto could think of only one other person with an attitude like this, and that guy at least had some decency in him. Of course, he _was_ the sort to crush an old gangster's head with a punch, but aside from that Kakuzu didn't seem all that bad. "You know something, Takumi-san?" Naruto asked, leaning on his pick axe as if it were a post. "You're a pretty grumpy guy, aren't you?"

From the look of things this suggestion was unexpected, Takumi's frown indicated that much. It seemed he had been expecting some sort of remark, but was met only with a tired look. For some reason that expression made him turn away, part of his anger fading reluctantly. "The sword doesn't have a past, its life consists of the energy of the environment and the souls of countless living things that were drawn in by the gate." he said, in a solemn and reluctant tone. He picked up some crumbled pieces of coal and rubbed them between his fingers, a deep and distant look on his face. "They weren't made to remember, only to kill indiscriminately. That was the design requested by whoever hired my master, and it was that design that my master worked towards for the rest of his life. He was a great blacksmith, so forgive me for having faith in his work."

Even though he said that, nothing could hide the bitterness in his voice. It made his tough exterior all the harder to follow, and for Naruto it made him all the harder to hate. Then came a thought to the blond boy's mind, one he often encountered when he met a person like Takumi. _"I guess it isn't right to hate a guy for the way life makes him."_ he reminded himself, bowing his head miserably. He let out a discontented sigh, knowing there was only one way he could make this working relationship at least a little bit bearable. "Yo, Takumi-san." he said, lifting his head to look at the blacksmith. "What your master worked towards doesn't mean crap to me. I use the Ekokaeten to work towards _my goals_. And Eko doesn't care about killing; all he wants is to be the best sword out there. So with all due respect, could you take that crappy attitude and shove it back up your ass where it belongs?"

In this case, Takumi wasn't the only one staring at Naruto in shock. Eko too was taken aback by the rude and sudden request made by his wielder. Naruto could see this clearly, but he kept his tired gaze as he waited for the blacksmith's reply. Fortunately Takumi remained stunned for only a moment longer, before his vision cleared and once more he looked at Naruto. He thought to himself for several moments, moments where the younger boy anticipated an order to take his request and blow it out his ass. "Fuck… the brat's acting like a grownup." Takumi muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked aside. It went without saying that this annoyed him, his colourful use of language made his feelings very clear. He looked again at Naruto, his eyes narrowed with some suspicion and curiosity. "So what the hell is your goal anyway, that you need something like _that_ to get even stronger?"

The feelings of surprise he had had only moments ago were then returned to Naruto, who squinted back at Takumi incomprehensively. He thought about it for a while, the cogs in his head seemed to cause a mechanical reaction as his arm pivoted to the back of his neck. He had not been expecting a question like this, and so hastily gave the only answer he could think of. "Uh… world peace?" he asked, scratching his ear questioningly. Unfortunately that response earned him exactly the opposite response he had received just a while ago, for the first time Takumi gave him an incredulous look that succeeded in embarrassing the boy. "Alright, I'm still working on that, ok?"

"… _You know what? I want Gaara to be my wielder from now on."_

* * *

To Naruto's dismay, the labour of that day was far from over. Even though he didn't want to believe it, it was a full week before Takumi was ready to even begin craft on the Ekokaeten. They had gathered the materials, wood, coal and metal, and brought in all the tools needed for the job. By the time they were done, there was a second forge set up in that mine, complete with a furnace that had been particularly strenuous to get in there.

Of course, this wasn't all he did through the course of the week. Since the length of his stay had been undetermined he commissioned Takaito to come back for him in a month's time. No matter how he looked at it, once the Ekokaeten was done he'd need to train with him. This would be the first time he'd taken his sword training to new levels without Kisame's guidance, so he had to admit he was nervous. It was lucky for him that Takumi had no shortage of things that needed doing, so he was often making trips to the main parts of the island to collect things. It had gotten to the stage were he was a recognised face.

"_It's kinda weird, to be looked at for any reason other than Eko."_ he thought nervously, as he nodded a hello to the now familiar butcher as he passed. In truth he hadn't seen much of the blade lately; Takumi had taken him, claiming that he would need to study the craft of the blade to make sure nothing went wrong. It had been a long week, but Naruto was finally confident that Takumi meant what he said. Though in all truth, he was still quite a hard ass.

On this day, Takumi had sent him on a rather strange errand. Instead of the usual shop, he had told Naruto to go down to the harbour and buy a long reel of fishing line. Though he had no idea what use such a thing would have, Naruto accepted there was much about the arts of a blacksmith that made no sense to him. The look on Takumi's face when Naruto suggested making the Ekokaeten's edges serrated told him some things were best left unsaid.

However embarrassed Naruto had felt after being told in a slow and simple tone why that was a bad idea, he had at least had _some_ good moments with Takumi. The blacksmith had a begrudging respect for Naruto's stamina, something Naruto from then on took pride in. there was still no love lost between the blacksmith and Eko, but considering how tiresome that had been, they had learned to live and let live. At least until Takumi was out of earshot that is.

Naruto cast his eyes over the pier as he crossed it, looking over the calm and tranquil sea. The peacefulness of this island was a little addictive, the feeling of suppression from the cave was nothing compared to the rest of the place. However there was one thing that broke Naruto's suddenly sleepy state; there was a rowing boat he didn't recognise here. Compared to the other vessels, this one was actually in pretty good condition. Looking around, he wondered if maybe someone from one of the other islands had come over. "Hey, obaachan!" he called, waving to the old lady he had met when he first arrived here. "Another stranger show up or something?"

The old lady, Chika was her name, looked up from her stool with a surprised face. She had previously been repairing a net, and as a result failed to notice Naruto was there at all. "Oh, I couldn't say for sure!" she called back, her seemingly closed eyes suggesting there wasn't much she _did_ notice in the end. "My boy said that it just showed up sometime last night, we have no idea _who_ it belongs to I'm afraid!"

Naruto cocked a brow at this, looking over to the small boat once again. Now that he thought about it, with waters like these who in their right minds would _row_ all the way out to a place like this? Whoever it was, he would have to have a hell of a lot of guts if he intended to make it out alive. For each moment he looked at the boat, Naruto's curiosity grew more and more. From all the talk around town, he was the first visitor the island had seen in a long time. So it really didn't seem likely that someone else had joined them. _"Maybe the owner just put a coat of paint on it?"_ he wondered, before shrugging to himself. He turned away and headed over to the old lady, he had other reasons for being here after all.

The small boat rocked in the cold water, the wooden oars rubbing against the wooden base. Underneath the rower's bench there was pure, unfiltered shadow. That shadow remained completely still, almost tangible, until a new sound came in. A small insect, a mosquito, hovered in the air making its obnoxious tone. However that noise came to a stop as it settled on the floor of the boat, making a momentary perch as it rested. But unbeknownst to the pest, that rest was its last. From the depths of the shadows, a long, pink tongue shot out, striking the mosquito and pulling the poor bug to an early grave.


	54. Leave me a lie at the season's end

Sorry for the lateness, I was out fishing with my dad all day and by the time I got back it hurt to THINK. Well, ladies, gentlemen... Yaridovich23, I present to you what will be the final chapter of The Deamon of Pein part 2: The Eclipse of Dawn. This one was really troublesome, so I'd appreciate some proper feedback, y'know? Also, on another note, there's been quite some demand for scenes of a..._ certain nature._ So after some deliberation, I'm gonna go into some training on writing scenes of a... _certain nature._ So I expect The Daemon of Pein part 3 will appear around Monday/Tuesday. So if you put me on author alert, or remember to look at my page, you should be reading the final part of this "little" trilogy in a few day's time.

Disclaimer: So chapter 500 wasn't the double chapter I'm expecting, but I thought it was pretty great.

* * *

**Leave me a lie at the season's end**

For most wandering Shinobi, remembering things like dates can be quite troublesome. Putting in the effort to remember what day it was became a hindrance at best. The only thing they needed to be aware of, the only thing that really mattered, was which season would be coming and which one was going. Those times where nature changed, _that_ mattered a whole lot more than recalling which dead Daimyo's birthday it was next week. After all, what Katon natured Shinobi thought about saying a prayer to the deceased during rainy season?

Though in this situation, it was something else altogether. Naruto wasn't even aware of _that_ much, on the basis that he can "sort of tell when it's cold". Of course for someone of his style, seasons only made slight difference. But right now, at this moment in time, he couldn't help noticing the heat in the air. _"Is this summer?"_ he wondered, as he looked up at the transparent sky. He was in the middle of a thin wood overlooking the island town down below, taking part in training that Takumi had advised him to do.

Apparently Eko would be a little heavier when the work was finished, so Naruto was practicing with some weights that were about equal to what Takumi expected the Ekokaeten to become. Though in actual fact all they were worth was for carrying. He couldn't swing them around or other things that he would do with a sword. By this point he had officially given up the useless training, and was now taking to watching the sky. _"When's that old man gonna be done?"_ he thought, laying down on the grass with his hands behind his head. It had been at least four days since Naruto had last seen the Ekokaeten, making a grand total of two weeks he had spent on this island. The time for Takaito to return to pick him up was drawing near, and he was beginning to feel troubled by it. He could just barely sense Eko where he lay, in that gloomy mine that made him feel five times his own weight.

Something off to his left caught his notice, the sound of grass being stepped on. He got to his feet and looked through the trees, what were the odds of someone just wandering to this place? Or more to the point, _how_ could anyone get to this place? The hill was much too steep for normal people to climb without gear, which judging by the weight of the steps this person was lacking. "Who's that?" he called out, tensing warily. His nerves had been playing on him recently, maybe as a result of not having the Ekokaeten by his side. Kisame had always warned him against parting with his blade, so naturally he felt uneasy in this situation.

The footsteps stopped at the sound of Naruto's voice, his call succeeding in alerting the unknown company. Naruto instinctively slipped a hand into his sleeve, reaching for the weapons holster hidden inside. Would he need such methods for a situation like this?

His hand suddenly tensed on a kunai as the steps came again. He could see movement up ahead, the bushes were stirring into consciousness. But then the leaves parted, and Naruto caught sight of the person causing the disturbance. "There you are." Takumi said, brushing tiny leaves from his vest. Naruto relaxed at the sight of a now familiar face, Takumi was probably the only non-Shinobi he could think of that could get up here. The red haired man stopped where he was and jerked his head back the way he came, causing the sun to glisten off the sweat on his brow. "It's time."

Thoughts silence by the blacksmith's blasé announcement, Naruto stared with a dumbstruck look at Takumi. Even though he had worried this would take longer, for it to be over so soon was a surprise. With just a moment to hesitate, Naruto nodded blankly before following after Takumi, even then he was still quiet. He picked up the weights in passing, catching up with the already departing man with a curious expression. "So wait, you mean he's finished?" he asked, looking up at Takumi in clear anticipation.

Takumi grunted in annoyance as the passing breeze struck him with some dust. What had previously been a rather plain look was now a scowl as he shook his head. There really was no limits to how temperamental this guy was. "No, it turns out there's one more thing that needs to be done before you can even take the Ekokaeten away from that place." he replied, as he absent mindedly snapped a branch that was in his way. "From what I understand, there's a special condition that needs to be met in order for the blade to stabilise outside the mine. All the swords met that condition before, but Eko's different now, so it'll need to be done again."

Naruto glanced at Takumi from the corner of his eye, sensing that there was something underlying from those words. He turned his eyes to the woods as the two of them stepped through some bushes, there were no paths in this almost untouched place, but kept his attentions on his relative. "Hey… Takumi-san." he said, as the two of them came to a steep, earthy ledge that descended to the hills below. It hadn't been an exaggeration, _no_ normal person could scale this place single handed. And hear the two of them were, crouching to slide _back down_. "Who was that guy, the one who hired your master to make those swords?"

With the crumbling earth rolling out underneath them, the silence that followed that question was filled for several seconds. Takumi looked lost in thought, even though he was already well aware of what his answer was. "No idea, I never even knew he existed til he was gone." he explained, placing his hand out to balance himself as they came to the bottom of the drop. From there he took a pause, looking out to the direction of the forge he and his master had worked so many years ago. "All I know is what my master wrote down, and even that's fragmented. The guy wasn't much for detail when it came to words, he was more of an acting man than anything else. Hell, for all I can tell the employer wasn't even a _guy_. All the times that person came up they were just known as "_that ninja_"."

The forge was nowhere in sight, Naruto could confirm that much. For Takumi to look in such a fixed direction however, it was clear he was thinking hard about that place. This just added to the ominous mystery however, and made Naruto all the more intrigued. _"Maybe if I play my cards right, I can get him to show me those letters."_ he told himself, as the two of them began walking once again. He resolved to appeal to Takumi as best as he could, to at least discover the location of those letters. But for the moment, it seemed he had much more important things to think about than simple mysteries. It was time to do what he had came here for; he was feeling more than a little bit excited.

* * *

Those feelings of enthusiasm were regrettably short lived, as once more Naruto felt that nauseating pressure that was the mine. All his drive gave him now was the will to move on, but his keenness was as dull as any of the rocks scattered around his feet. He and Takumi stepped into the key room of the mine, the place that contained the source of his current discomfort. That sensation of being heavier had magnified to a considerably greater strength; had Naruto been currently carrying the Ekokaeten, it was unlikely he could manage more than a walking pace.

These worries were neglected however, as he saw something equally invigorating. Down there, embedded in the gap between the two haves of the face, Eko stood prouder than ever. _"Welcome back dear."_ the blade called up, his humorous tone lightening the darkness which the countless bulbs failed to shed away. Even from where he stood, Naruto could feel the aura emanating from the shining steel sword; it excited him. _"I'm afraid there's no dinner, or even a bath. But maybe you'd prefer _me_ instead?"_

Creepy jokes aside, Naruto recognized that Eko was feeling something similar to him right now. They were both getting a little high from the look of the zweihaender, whose previous red sheen had changed to an unusual blue. As Naruto dropped from the ledge and stepped past the heaps of equipment to get to his sword, he noticed the slight changes to even greater detail. Whatever metal the blade was composed of, it was much more brilliant than before. Coupled with the way the light hit the blade, it seemed to be made almost of dense sapphires. Naruto was truly in awe of the sight before him, and Eko seemed to feel even more proud as a result. However, as Naruto approached the blade and reached out to take it, Takumi called out to him.

"Stop!" he exclaimed, his voice taking on a completely new level of serious. He dropped down much like Naruto had and quickly joined the boy, grabbing his outstretched arm and raising it in the air. Both the sword and the swordsman watched Takumi impatiently, wondering what on earth could be such a problem that their reunion was cut off like that. But judging by what they could see of Takumi's expression, that reason was a damn good one. "The Ekokaeten's been absorbing all the energy this place draws in. Right now he's a powerhouse of energy just _waitin'_ for a chance to burst. You touch him, and _boom_, your _both_ dead."

"Wait, _what?_" Naruto exclaimed, with Eko chiming in with the same. This was unreal, so the aura Naruto was sensing from the sword was that dangerous? More than that, how was he supposed to wield the blade if he couldn't even _touch_ it? Was he supposed to spend the rest of his life with something between his hand and Eko's hilt? That was too much to ask, the chakra transference between them would be messed up by something like that. "Whaddaya mean? I can't touch him?"

He forcibly took a step back as Takumi pulled him away, wearing an unrelenting expression that showed he wasn't kidding. The shock Naruto felt left him with that look, but the crease in his brow was the same. This was in no way a laughing matter; it was deadly serious. "If you'll listen to what I have to say, instead of shooting your mouth off, I'll _tell_ you what to do." Takumi replied, condescending but at least trying. He let go of Naruto's arm and stepped over to a nearby crate. There he picked up and old and dusty piece of paper, reading it over for what was probably the dozenth time. "The Ekokaeten is like a lightning rod, in that it has absorbed all the natural energy that has been gathered. And just like a lightning rod, you touch it and all that power will rush through your body. If you don't want to die, then there's one thing you absolutely have to do; throw into the blade as much energy as is given to you." he looked up as he finished his summary, knowing that Naruto would have at least understood _this_ much. "Basically, you and the Ekokaeten will share that energy, and synchronization will commence."

There was that word again, synchronization. Even though he had heard it a few times in the past two weeks, Naruto was yet to learn just what it meant. He could guess of course, he had heard the term used before. But that wasn't what was troubling him. It was something else in fact. "So to sync with Eko, that's gotta be here right?" he asked, looking uncertainly between the blade and the blacksmith. When Takumi gave him a nod in reply, his worries only deepened. That meant Kisame had never done this. So that then meant that with this step, Naruto would attain a level his sensei had not. He didn't doubt his strength, Kisame was definitely stronger… but what after this?

"_Hey, you realise what that means right? If we do this, we'll be one step closer to being the greatest!"_

Naruto cast his eyes to the overly tangible sword behind him, surprised that Eko wasn't sharing in his worries. But then, the blade had a habit of being optimistic when it came to power. Whether that was a good thing or not well, Naruto was hardly one to debate that point. However, he did relax a little from his partner's confidence. "Yeah, I hear ya." he said, smirking as he turned to the zweihaender. He gave Takumi a nod of reassurance, before moving back towards his sword. _"So I need to pump in as much chakra as Eko throws into me… man, that actually sounds _painful!_"_

His chuckle served to make Takumi nervous. It was hardly the attitude _he_ would take on in such a vital situation. But then again, this boy had a strange way of going about things. He had absolutely no worries about throwing himself into the unknown, yet could just as easily lie in the sun doing nothing at all. And above all that, there was a strange sense of _peace_ coming from him, as if on top of all that he didn't have a care in the world. _"Strangest goddamn Shinobi _I've_ ever seen."_ he thought, scowling as he folded his burly arms. Even though the logical thing to do would be to take cover, he really didn't think it was necessary for some reason. "All right then, be careful."

Naruto nodded to acknowledge Takumi's words, glad the blacksmith had faith in him too. He fixed his eyes upon the glimmering blade, trying to ignore how low his arms were hanging from the pressure of the mine. Even though the other two seemed confident he could do this, a drop of sweat still slithered down his cheek. His tongue was tense in his mouth, sucking hard on the palate as if he could taste something bitter. He forced himself to blink as his hand tightened, reaching out to take the hilt. But all this tension was bad; he needed to relax.

He took in a deep, loud breath, inviting musky air to try and soothe his discomfort. Despite the fact he felt little refreshment from it, it seemed to do the job. His left hand rose into the air, taking place just a few inches in front of his mouth. He closed his pinkie and ring finger, but kept his middle and forefinger rigid. Though such a thing couldn't even be called second nature anymore, he slowly focused himself and gathered chakra throughout his entire body. It was always a strange sensation, that stamina was sacrificed but the result was something so energised that he barely noticed it. With this hand kept stiff before him, he finished with his hesitations and quickly reached out, grabbing the hilt of the Ekokaeten before he could _consider_ changing his mind.

He almost cried out, it seemed there was more to Takumi's comparison than he had thought. Chakra burst out from the blade like someone had opened a window to give fire some air. The shock almost forced him to break his concentration, but what he _couldn't_ break was his grip on the sword. Realising this he hastily began shifting his chakra from his body _into _Eko's body. Though with the incredible chakra output, this was easier said than done.

"GUAGH!" he cried, his eyes squeezing shut as he suddenly felt and immense pain. His free hand flew to his mouth, what the hell was this feeling? Were the rest of his body was ignited by fire, his mouth felt like it was being frozen from the inside! He didn't even notice himself falling to his knees, nor did he realise his and Eko's chakra were whirling in a tornado of chaos between the two of them. All he could feel was this searing migraine as his head was placed on the verge of splitting apart. "GAH… SHIT!"

He thought he heard Takumi calling out to him, but his hearing was messed up pretty bad. He looked through the cracks in his eyelids to the Ekokaeten, realising the sheen it had was moving like crazy. Whatever he was going through, he had no idea what Eko was experiencing. He listened out for the blade's voice, was he ok?_ "Eko!"_ he called, as the agony breaking his skull apart forced him to drop his attention to the ground. The stone beneath him was whirling insanely, and his eyes were really starting to sting. But he persisted, forcing his thoughts along with his chakra straight into the great sword. _"You alright in there?"_

"_Yeah… I think so!"_ Eko called back, but his voice was strained. It seemed he was having a hard time too, Naruto wasn't the only one suffering here. _"Hey… I don't know what's gonna happen after this, so let's make a pact ok?"_ he asked, before letting out a groan of pain. Naruto dragged his eyes back up to his companion, fixing his aching eyes upon the shining sword. He gave a weak nod as the only reply he was capable of, before sticking his thumb in his mouth and biting down to distract himself from the agony. _"No matter what… we're not gonna let _anyone_ look down on us! They try, and we'll show them what we can do!"_

In spite of his shredded mind and grinding insides, Naruto's lips curled into a grin. Blood seeped down his wrist like a river of anguish, but that paled in comparison to everything else. Though he felt incredibly weak, he opened his eyes just enough so Eko could look into them, and see the resolve shining inside them. _"That it?" _he asked, as he took his hand from his mouth and with it grabbed the hilt in a tight grip. His life water ran down Eko's form, slipping over the guard and down the almost white metal. This was the blood vow he made; _"I thought you were gonna ask for something hard! Alright, let's do it!"_

Together, the blade and the boy threw their chakra around, both yelling at the top of their capacity. The lights of the mine flickered and dust fell from the sealing as massive amounts of chakra disrupted the very workings of the place. Behind them, Takumi was forced to take a wary step back as to his great shock, cracks began to appear in the stone face where the Ekokaeten was placed. Those cracks grew as Naruto and Eko's calls rose in intensity, until with a sudden crescendo, _everything_ exploded. The generator, the lights, the gate and even those two in the middle of it all. The blacksmith dove under a table to shield himself from the falling glass, but even then didn't take his eyes of Naruto or Eko. For the first time in a long time, he felt worried for another person. And personally, he _hated_ that.

The two disappeared in a cloud of dust, their voices fading along with the light. The mine had finally stopped its violent reaction, and though it was pitch black, Takumi could sense the cold calmness that had gathered. He stepped out from under the table, personally ashamed of hiding like that, and cautiously made his way further into the darkness. He stopped when he stepped upon a cracked piece of the gate, looking down at his feet. He thought long and hard about something which was unlikely to be casual. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a tattered journal that had belonged to his master. Though he couldn't see it, he could picture it in his mind. Soon after he took that book, a snapping sound broke out from close by. A small flickering flame on the tip of a match revealed the book and Takumi's hands. He didn't hesitate.

_Thud._

Following the light of the blazing book, Takumi managed to find the mound that was Naruto. The boy had lost all signs of consciousness, but even like that his breathing was as if he had been drowning. He clutched the Ekokaeten in his clammy hands, the blade too had gone quiet. Takumi looked at them both, wondering just how far they would go to achieve their goals. But in the end he decided it was best not to think about. He let out a sigh; it looked like he was going to have to do more heavy lifting.

* * *

The light was painful on his eyes, burning through the lids to spite him from finally leaving the darkness. It felt like the sun itself was punishing him for what he had just done, though his memories of what that was were fleeting. All he could feel was the grass beneath him, sound, sight and smell were still beyond him. But there was one other sense that pushed itself forward into his consciousness, a raw feeling that nauseated him from inside. He could taste blood, and a lot of it.

"Grrn…" he groaned, lifting his hand to shield himself from the violent sun. He was in no mood for being treated like this, after all that had just happened back there. His eyes opened just a slither, trying to comprehend his hand alone. It was fortunate that he could at least do _that _much. His body felt strangely numb; with the now cold sweat covering his body he almost felt like he had taken a foolish dip into the ocean. "…Shit."

"Welcome back."

Peering over his arm, Naruto squinted at the person talking to him. Takumi was sitting on the hill beside him, a cigarette between his teeth and his eyes to the distance. The sunlight made the blacksmith look uncharacteristically tranquil, but to Naruto it still hurt to watch. "Damn it, I think I managed to get a hangover!" he muttered, as he sat up weakly. He noticed to his surprise that he was still holding the Ekokaeten, which was resting by his side. He regretted looking, as the light reflected off the sword's brilliant new blade. "I feel like I've been hit by a landslide!"

He heard a dry chuckle escape from Takumi's gritted teeth, and with strain glanced over to him. He would have called the blacksmith something foul if it weren't for the pain in his mouth, did he chew on some glass or something? "You may want to take a _closer_ look at the Ekokaeten." Takumi slyly suggested, watching Naruto from the corner of his eye. The young Shinobi frowned for a moment, but his curiosity was impossible to ignore. He lifted the blade up and planted it between his legs, looking at the still spotless sword with the same impressed feeling he had had earl-

His jaw dropped, revealing what was the cause of his current discomfort. He could see his own reflection in the blade of the Ekokaeten in such detail it was the same as a mirror. And what he saw was a mouth full of bloodstained teeth sharpened to a point. "What the hell?" he breathed, noticing how perfectly the teeth meshed together. It felt really unusual, instead of one set of teeth overlapping the other, the two sets met each other. And that wasn't all. Black markings had appeared on his chin, two curved spikes reaching up to the crease in the skin. They weren't cuts or bruises, but actual darkened skin, just like the lines on his cheeks. "How did _this_ happen?"

"The Ekokaeten was incomplete, so you could never fully align with it." Takumi explained, taking a draw on his cigarette and leaning back. Naruto listened, but his attention was fixed on what had happened to his teeth. As only someone like him would, he tested them out with the tip of his finger. They weren't _that_ sharp, so at least he wouldn't have to worry about the next time he bit his tongue being the last time that would happen. "Now you and the blade are on in the same, your consciousnesses have combined."

"Hey, Eko."

"Naturally you don't get without giving, so there is a price to all this."

"You listening?"

"You and the Ekokaeten now share the same mind. So as a result, there's no individuality between you two."

"What's up with you?"

"You and the blade, won't be communicating any more."

Naruto froze, his blood running a little slower through his veins. His wide eyes were fixed on the blade of the Ekokaeten, which had refused to respond to any of Naruto's calls. He replayed everything Takumi had just said in his mind, and this time he listened closely to what he heard. _"Me and Eko… one in the same?"_ he thought, looking the sword up and down. What struck him as most surprising was not that fact, but the fact that he wasn't surprised. For some reason he could understand that, he could _feel _it. Not only had the sword changed, but so had _he._ The line between Eko and Naruto had been erased, and he actually felt _good_ about it. _"More like… it feels _better_ this way…"_

He sat there silently, caught up in his own thoughts while Takumi continued to smoke. But eventually the old blacksmith finished his cigarette, and tosses the but away with a flick of his wrist. "Well come on, we got some little details to take care of." he said, as with a rocking motion he rose to his feet. As Naruto did the same, he glanced back with a smirk and narrow eyes, wanting to see the boy's reaction to his next words. "We got a _big_ bill to settle before you leave."

Unlike his expectations however, Naruto gave him a look of surprise that seemed more taken aback than shocked. Still, it was enough to satisfy that little sadistic urge of his, so he turned and began making his way to the forge. Naruto however stayed where he stood, staring at the back of Takumi's head with a look of loss. His grip tightened on the Ekokaeten, he could feel courage building from somewhere that had once never existed in him. Eko was telling him to do it. "Wait a minute!" he called out, taking a step forward with a look of hesitant determination. "Do… do you know about any Uzumaki that lived in Konohagakure?"

Takumi stopped, a suddenly aghast look appearing on his face. His shoulders tensed and his hands balled into fists, all done without the slightest bit of notice from him. Several long, painful seconds passed as he gritted his teeth, an angry glare sneaking onto his complexion. "Forget the bill." he snarled. Naruto blinked in astonishment, Takumi's sudden change in mood was unexpected. But he hadn't come all this way to leave without answers. He took another step forward and opened his mouth to speak, but Takumi interrupted him before he could start. "Now I know who you remind me of. You're Ku-cha- _Kushina's_ kid, aren't you? That makes you that damned Yondaime's too…"

His mouth opened and closed, trying to say more than his mind could gather. After several failed attempts, he gave up with a click of his tongue. He didn't even look back as he began to descend the hill, his posture ordering Naruto not to follow. But considering what he had just said, that was absolutely fine. Even if he wanted to, even if Takumi could answer every one of his questions, Naruto simply couldn't move. _"The Yondaime… Hokage?"_

* * *

Naruto sat on a wooden post down by the harbour of the island which had suddenly become a dark, foreboding place in the presence of dusk. Even as he waited there, for the slowly approaching Takaito, he could almost _feel_ Takumi's eyes off to the distance, watching to make sure he left. It was a pressure unlike anything that mine could have put on him, but it was one that Naruto could at least handle. Now wasn't the time to be asking questions. He doubted he could take much more information anyway.

The Yondaime Hokage… Namikaze Minato had been his name. Disbelief filled Naruto's very thoughts, his senses telling him there must be a mistake, while his mind told him there was none. And that other name… _Uzumaki_ Kushina? Was that his mother? Then… they were dead then? _"I already know why _he's_ dead."_ he thought bitterly, his jaw tightening just like his grip on his knees. The Yondaime Hokage was the person who defeated the Kyuubi no Yoko, that was his legacy. But the Kyuubi was sealed inside _him_, inside Naruto. He didn't doubt it, his own father had put that monster in him, and placed that burden he had endured for twelve painful years. _"Bastard!"_

He could feel the spiteful anger inside of him, and wanted it to grow. But however he looked at it, the rage was blocked by another feeling, one Naruto swiftly wanted to get rid of. _Confusion_. He knew he was missing something, something important. Something he couldn't realise here. He had to, _needed_ to find out the truth. He realised enough from Takumi's reaction that if he wanted _those_ answers, here was far from the right place to look. He knew _exactly _where those answers lay. And that was in the one place he had sworn to never return to if he could ever help it.

His thoughts were disturbed by a low thudding sound, heavy footsteps one the wooden pier. He tried to ignore them, but when they came to a stop he was hit with this feeling that he was being watched. He looked behind him to the place that noise had come from, the shadows between a pair of shacks. There in the darkness, against all expectations, Takumi's face disappeared. In a second Naruto was on his feet, but there he hesitated. Why was he _here_? He hadn't given Naruto even a fleeting glance as he left back there, did he have more he wanted to say? Maybe he _could_ help Naruto after all.

That glimmer of hope was enough to push him towards that gap, enough to send him into the shadows where his relative was waiting. But as he reached that place, he realised he couldn't see Takumi anywhere. Had he just been checking to see if Naruto was still here then? Uncertainty clouded his mind, and he was caught looking between the island and the sea. As his eyes turned over to the wall opposite however, he noticed a shift of colour that suddenly stabbed adrenaline into his system. Though he raised his hand, he hadn't even _touched_ the Ekokaeten before he was slammed against the wall behind, an immensely strong hand gripping on his throat. From behind an illusion of invisibility, an old man appeared. Naruto's eyes flitted over his assailant, the long and spiky white hair, the red lines running down from his narrow eyes, the-

He got no further than that. Without even the most slight piece of effort, his attacker flicked his wrist to the right. The last thing Naruto heard was a loud, cracking sound, before all of a sudden his senses failed him. In an instant his consciousness had been taken from him, not dead, but just an inch away from it. All the while, the Ekokaeten vibrated in an overwrought frenzy, desperately trying to regain the situation. But the old man seemed prepared for this two. With his other hand he wrapped an old paper seal around the blade's hilt, and with that the Ekokaeten too was silenced. In three seconds flat, both Naruto and the Ekokaeten had been taken down. The old man stared at the boy's face, a look of both sternness and pity appearing in his otherwise unreadable eyes. "Looks like I finally caught up with you."


End file.
